Head Injuries

Published on: June 13, 2019

Know the Silent Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injuries

A brain injury is one of the most devastating injuries a person can suffer in an accident. Brain injuries are not only debilitating to the victim, but they can have a tremendous impact on the victim’s family as well.

Car accidents as well as slip, or trip, and fall accidents are two of the most common causes of brain injuries. And as serious as brain injuries are, they are also, surprisingly, one of the most difficult and complicated injuries to diagnose and treat. According to the International Brain Injury Association, approximately 1.5 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. Of these, 75% are classified as mild TBI. Unfortunately, a mild TBI is often unnoticed or misdiagnosed because many victims do not have visible symptoms that most people associate with a brain injury. Because of this, the mild TBI has been called a “silent epidemic.” However, the term “mild” can be misleading as these injuries can still have long-term and devastating complications on a victim’s life.

Many times a person may have been involved in a slip and fall or a car accident and, although he or she may not think they sustained serious injuries, could very well be overlooking some classic symptoms of a brain injury or mild TBI. Symptoms of a brain injury or mild TBI include (1) any period of loss of consciousness, even if just for a few seconds, (2) any loss of memory immediately before or after the accident, (3) any altered state of mind such as confusion or disorientation at the time of the accident, (4) any neurological problems including speech, vision or hearing, (5) headache, nausea or vomiting, and (5) fatigue, sleepiness or dizziness.

Published on: May 29, 2019

Disturbing Trend of No Helmets While Biking Endangers Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Despite laws in Georgia and throughout the country, it may be surprising to know that many American parents fail to require their children to wear protective helmets while riding a bicycle or scooter, or skateboarding.

Those were the findings of a new poll that surveyed 1,300 parents across the country. According to the poll, as many as 18 percent of the parents admitted that their children never wore bicycle helmets while riding a bike. More than 58 percent admitted that their children didn’t wear helmets while skateboarding, and 61 percent admitted that their children never wore helmets while riding scooters.

Bicycling, skateboarding, and riding scooters are becoming more and more popular in Atlanta, not just as a form of recreation, but also as a form of transportation. These activities, however, also have a high potential for causing serious, or even fatal, injuries to a child. When a parent allows a child to ride without wearing a safety helmet, this only contributes to the risk of the child incurring serious injuries which can have devastating and often life-long impacts.

Published on: September 7, 2017

Benefits of Oxygen Therapy for Brain Injury Patients

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

For years now, proponents of hyperbaric oxygen therapy have claimed the therapy can significantly help reduce the risk of long-term brain damage in persons who have suffered a brain injury. Recently, a case study of a brain-damaged three-year-old child who recovered significantly after being administered the therapy offered support for these claims. The hope is that the approach described in the case study will help other individuals who have suffered a severe brain injury. These types of injuries are common in motorcycle accidents as well as any collision which occurs when vehicles are traveling at a high rate of speed.

Claims of the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen therapy have been met with skepticism for many years, because its proponents have found it difficult to explain exactly why the treatment works in helping reduce brain damage after an injury. When these claims arise in litigation, the experts are often challenges under Daubert, a federal case that has nationally redefined when expert testimony is admissible or should be excluded. However, a number of recent studies have found that even a single session of hyperbaric oxygen therapy can significantly impact tissue recovery rates in a person with brain damage. Each session of hyperbaric oxygen therapy reduces cell death and inflammation, and boosts recovery, cell growth and repair rates. That can be seen in the rate of recovery of persons with brain damage. These studies may alter the admissibility of expert testimony since Daubert requires general scientific acceptance of principles to which an expert is testifying in court.

Experts point specifically to a recent case involving a three-year-old child who was found unconscious and unresponsive in her family swimming pool. The child had been deprived of oxygen for several minutes, and had suffered significant brain damage. There were signs of brain shrinkage, and loss of gray matter. Around two months after the injury, the child was administered hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and her doctors and parents noticed an improvement within 10 sessions of the therapy.

Published on: September 20, 2016

Even Mild Brain Injury Can Mean Long-Term Health Consequences for Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Children who suffer even a mild brain injury like a concussion can suffer long-term health consequences that may be evident for years after the injury.

According to a new study that was conducted in Sweden, young people who have suffered even a mild brain injury are at risk for various health problems including psychiatric problems later in life. They may also be at risk of dying prematurely.

The study was based on an analysis of 100,000 persons who had suffered a traumatic brain injury before they reached the age of 25. Children who had suffered an injury were found to be more likely to die early, and also suffer psychological problems as adults. The risk of long-term consequences was higher among children who were older when they suffered the injury, as well as those who suffered more severe injuries or had repeated injuries.

Published on: September 22, 2014

More Attention Being Paid to Concussions and Prevention

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Concussions are common injuries in car, motorcycle, and bicycle accidents.These are mild brain injuries that can occur even during a low-speed collision, or even if a person is wearing a helmet at the time. New research confirms that concussions should be taken more seriously than they have been in the past.

Concussions are mild brain injuries that may or may not be accompanied by a temporary loss of consciousness. Symptoms of concussion include headache, nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, and confusion. The concussed person may have difficulty concentrating, learning new tasks, and may also struggle with memory loss.

New research seems to suggest that there are longer-term consequences of mild brain injuries common in bicycle and motorcycle accidents. In the study, scientists compared the performance of persons who had suffered mild or moderate concussions on thinking and memory tests with the performance of persons who had not suffered a concussion. They found a marked difference in the performance of both groups. The persons who suffered from concussions seemed to perform poorly on the thinking and memory tests, compared to those who had no brain injury.

Published on: July 27, 2014

Atlanta Bike Share Program Needs to Consider the Helmet Factor

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

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.