Head Injuries

Published on: July 27, 2014

Atlanta Bike Share Program Needs to Consider the Helmet Factor

Atlanta is set to soon launch its very first bike share program following cities across the country, including New York City, that already have their own bike share programs in place. These are exciting times for bicyclists, and there is a lot of support for the bike sharing program because it will help reduce some of the congestion on Atlanta’s notoriously busy streets. However, Atlanta should take the results of a new study seriously, which finds that cities that have implemented bike share programs are actually seeing an increase in the number of head injuries.

In May of 2014, the Atlanta City Council announced that it had approved a resolution for the establishment of the bicycle share program. The vendor has already presented the proposal to launch the city’s first bike share program, and once the program is fully underway, Atlanta residents will be able to rent bicycles 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

However, the study found that the proportion of head injuries that was relative to all bicycle accident-related injuries actually spiked significantly in cities that have implemented similar programs. The occurrence of head injuries in those cities actually increased by 14%, while there was no corresponding head injury rate increase in cities that had no bike share program in place.Researchers say that the findings confirm their worst fears; cities are implementing these programs without giving proper consideration to the role of helmets in preventing injuries. It has to be noted here that the study focused on head injuries, and not brain injuries. Every head injury does not automatically lead to a brain injury, which is much more serious.

Published on: June 28, 2013

Helmets Greatly Reduce the Risk of Serious Bicycle Accident Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As many as 75% of all fatal bicycle accidents are believed to involve a head injury.There is no doubt that a traumatic brain injury is the single biggest safety risk for a bicyclist involved in a crash.A new analysis finds that sports-related bicycling injuries account for more head injuries every year than football or baseball.

In many states around the country, including Georgia, wearing a helmet is not mandatory.The reasons for this vary, but generally the safety aspect of this bicycling has been largely neglected because it is such a popular activity and a favorite pastime for so many Atlantans.This is in spite of the fact that there is enough research to suggest that wearing a bicycle helmet may be the only thing protecting a bicyclist from serious injuries in an accident.

In fact, recent Australian research focused on the kind of injuries suffered by bicyclist who were not helmeted at the time of an accident, and found that wearing a helmet can help protect bicyclists from all but the most severe impacts.

Published on: July 24, 2012

Research Indicates Motorcycle Helmets Reduce Risk of Facial Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It is widely accepted that motorcycle helmets don’t just reduce your risk of dying in an accident, but also reduce the risk of serious or life threatening brain injuries.New research, however, now indicates that helmets may also have other benefits.They dramatically reduce the risk of suffering serious injuries to the face.

What’s more, it’s believed that motorcycle helmets do not need a face shield in order to reduce the risk of facial injuries.Even motorcycle helmets without shields, the researchers believe, can afford greater protection to the face.

The researchers studied data that came from the National Trauma Data Bank.The data involved approximately 46,000 motorcyclists who were involved in accidents, and suffered injuries that were serious enough for them to be taken to the hospital.Approximately 75% of all the motorcyclists in the study were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.The researchers found that motorcyclists who were wearing helmets had a 60% reduced chance of suffering facial injuries to the nose, jaws and other parts of the face, compared to motorcyclists who were not wearing a helmet.

Published on: October 21, 2011

CDC to Develop Guidelines for Managing Sports-Related Brain Injuries In Students

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Atlanta personal injury lawyers have been encouraged to note the increasing focus on mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions in student athletes.The Center for Disease Control and Prevention may soon develop guidelines to be used for the treatment of student-athletes with concussions. A number of lawsuits have arisen out of personal injuries and wrongful deaths which occur during a sports event or in practice. Our firm is currently involved in one such case. Unfortunately, contact sports, while entertaining to watch, can be life changing for the athletes.

According to New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez and Rep. Bill Pascrell, the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention has agreed to develop nationwide guidelines to be used for the management of sports-related concussions in student-athletes.Both of these lawmakers had sponsored a bill that would have made adoption of such protocols mandatory for all states.However, that bill has stalled in the Senate.

Some states have adopted guidelines to be followed by schools, coaches and other interested parties, whenever students suffer from concussions during play.However, there are no national standards in place, and considering the kind of effects from repeated concussions that we’re seeing now in professional football players, it is extremely urgent that we develop suitable guidelines to manage such concussions in student-athletes too.

Published on: September 2, 2011

Helmets Can Help Prevent Injuries in Bicycle Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It’s one of the biggest pieces of advice that Atlanta bicycle accident attorneys would give to any bicyclist – always wear a helmet while riding.Lack of a bicycle helmet substantially increases a cyclist’s chance of a brain injury in a car accident. Unfortunately, we often see bicyclists on Atlanta streets riding without the most basic protection gear to protect against injuries in an accident.We have always wondered why a bicyclist, who is one of the most vulnerable people on the road, would leave himself or herself so open to the risk of injuries.A poll by the British Medical Journal answers some of our questions.

Thepoll results have been published in the British Medical Journal Blog, and show that the majority of people prefer not to have mandatory bicycle helmet laws because they discourage bicyclists.According to respondents, people should be encouraged to ride bicycles, and mandatory bicycle helmet laws do the opposite.They discourage people from taking to what is essentially a very healthy activity.

68% of the respondents in the poll were against mandatory bicycle helmet laws.Not only do they believe that this would discourage bicycling, but they also felt that there wasn’t enough evidence to show that wearing a bicycle helmet significantly protects a bicyclist from injury during an accident.They believe that bicyclists believe that mandatory bicycle helmets would discourage female bicyclists, typically some of the least likely to take to cycling..Additionally, mandating bicycle helmets for all would discourage bicycling in many people who’d otherwise be able to enjoy a cheap and affordable means of transportation.Overall, most of the respondents in the survey believe that mandatory bicycle helmet laws do not reduce bicycle accident-related injuries, but reduce bicyclist numbers.Some respondents even believe that mandatory bicycle helmet laws give the wrong impression that biking is a dangerous activity.

Published on: August 22, 2011

Motorcycle Helmets Linked to Hearing Loss; Does this increase the number of motorcycle accidents?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Motorcyclists wearing helmets may be at risk of hearing loss, not from the loud noise of their motorcycle engine, but from the sound of the wind cutting through the helmet.A new study indicates the need for greater research to produce safer helmets that don’t have any health effects. If there is truly a risk to a motorcyclist’s hearing, this would indicate a higher risk of motorcycle accidents due to the inability of the rider to hear approaching vehicles and horns. It would be helpful if a study was performed to determine if there was an increase in the number of accidents, injuries and wrongful deaths among riders with a hearing loss.

According to research by scientists at the University of Bath and Bath Spa University, wind can escape from just underneath the helmet, and can damage the eardrums.This sound can be strong enough to cause hearing loss.The study titled Aeroacoustic Sources of Motorcycle Helmet Noise finds that motorcyclists who wear helmets may be a risk of suffering hearing loss even when they ride at safe speeds.

The scientists in the study used mannequins, and re-created the levels of noise that a motorcyclist is exposed to while riding.They found one particular spot under the helmet which allows sound to travel to the eardrums.The researchers are calling for more studies into the differences in how motorcyclists perceive sound, in order to better understand what’s going on here.

Published on: August 11, 2011

Study Links Brain Injury to Enhanced Stroke Risk

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new studypoints to an increased risk of suffering a stroke after a traumatic brain injury. The study found that persons who had suffered a brain injury have a ten-times higher risk of suffering a stroke during the first three months after injury. This means that anyone involved in a car accident, construction accident or any other trauma that results in a traumatic brain injury has a much higher likelihood of suffering a stroke.

The results of the study have been published in the online issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, and confirms that a traumatic brain injury can increase the risk of suffering a stroke over five years.The researchers based their results on an analysis of data of about 23,000 patients from a Taiwanese database.All these persons had suffered a traumatic brain injury.These people were then compared to people with no history of brain injury.The researchers monitored their susceptibility to stoke over a period of 5 years.

The increase is the most dramatic during the first three months after the TBI.After one year, the stroke risk went down substantially, but it was still at least 4.6 times higher than among people who did not have a traumatic brain injury.After five years, the stroke risk was 2.3 times higher than among patients with no brain injury.

Published on: May 29, 2011

NHTSA Acts to Prevent Injuries during Motorcycle accidents from Defective Motorcycle Helmets

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is coming down hard on manufacturers of novelty helmets that do not protect motorcyclists.These novelty motorcycle helmets are not approved by the Department of Transportation, and do not protect motorcyclists from injuries in a motorcycle accident.As an Atlanta motorcycle accident attorney, I am well aware of many serious injuries arising after accidents in which the driver was wearing a novelty helmet.

Helmets are a motorcyclist’s first line of defense against injuries in an accident.It’s important that motorcyclists wear helmets that are approved by the Department of Transportation.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will soon require new motorcycle helmets to come with a label that contains the words “DOT FMVSS 218 Certified.”

Novelty helmets have recently become very popular, because of their designs.However, testing has found that these helmets do not meet safety standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Those safety standards are contained in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218.These standards cover a number of criteria, including impact absorption and penetration resistance.

Published on: May 1, 2011

Study Finds Antidepressants Help Repair Brain Cells, Heal Brain Injury

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Traumatic brain injuries are some of the most devastating injuries that Atlanta auto accident lawyers see.These serious injuries can also be seen as a result of a slip and fall accident when a person sustains impact to the head.What makes these injuries even more devastating is that there is no complete cure for traumatic brain injury.All doctors can do is administer emergency treatment as quickly as possible.A new study indicates that the use of antidepressants can help increase brain cells, thereby helping treat an injury.The researchers believe that if a patient is administered antidepressant therapy right after a traumatic brain injury, in addition to all other kinds of therapies, it could help foster the survival of healthy brain cells after an injury.

The use of antidepressants in the treatment of brain injury is not exactly new.In fact, most patients who suffer from TBI are susceptible to depression, and are often prescribed antidepressants.However, a new study conducted on mice found that injured mice that were given antidepressants had up to 70% more brain cells after four weeks on the antidepressant therapy, compared to those mice with brain injuries who had not been given antidepressants.The mice had been given the antidepressant, imipramine

That’s not all.Researchers also analyzed the performance of the mice during a novel object recognition test, to determine whether the thriving of brain cells in these mice, actually contributed to better cognition skills.Researchers analyzed how much time the mice under the antidepressant therapy spent looking at new or novel objects.Researchers found that the mice that had received the antidepressant therapy spent at least 15% more time looking at the novel objects.This indicates that these mice found the objects to be new, thereby indicating better memory capacity.

Published on: September 7, 2010

Calls for Brain Injury to Be Defined As Disease

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Calls for Brain Injury to Be Defined As Disease

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not just a one-time injury that heals quickly, allowing a person to move on and forget about the injury.Rather, a person with a TBI can suffer several complications over his entire lifetime, depending on the severity of the TBI.A moderate brain injury could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, besides placing the person at a higher risk for neuroendocrine disorders and depression.That is the reason why a team of researchers from the University Of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is calling for a redefining of traumatic brain injury as a chronic disease, like diabetes.

According to the researchers, defining brain injury as a disease would allow doctors to frequently monitor patients with TBI for complications or new conditions that might develop in the future.Take diabetes, for instance.Diabetes is considered a chronic disease, and a patient is placed under frequent monitoring, that involves regular testing of his blood sugar levels.The doctors also monitor the patient for other complications that may arise, like kidney disorders.The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers are calling for similar scheduled monitoring and tracking of patients with TBI.Currently, this is not done.Instead, patients with TBI often find themselves confused, anxious and with no financial and educational resources to deal with these complications.Defining TBI as a disease would allow these patients to be reimbursed regularly by insurers.