March sheds light on dangerous brain injuries
This year, 2.4 million people will suffer a brain injury. More than 50,000 of those cases will result in death. The scariest part? Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) don’t discriminate- everyone is constantly susceptible.
March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, established by the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). The BIAA, largest and oldest organization dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of brain injuries and advancing treatment, developed the month to draw attention to the potentially deadly effects of TBIs.
Approximately 75 percent of TBIs are the result of a concussion or other mild traumatic brain injuries.
Every day, athletes, both in contact and non contact sports, risk the potentially life changing consequences of a blow to the head during game or practice. While efforts are made to ensure the safety of players, sometimes it’s not enough.
Will McKamey was a freshman football player for the U.S. Naval Academy. After sustaining a head injury during a high school football game, McKamey stayed away from contact sports for nine months before several neurosurgeons, MRIs and CAT scans cleared the talented athlete to play.
Last Saturday during a spring practice, McKamey collapsed and was airlifted to a hospital in Baltimore. After undergoing cranial surgery to reduce brain swelling and bleeding, he remained in a coma for several days before unfortunately passing.
Even though he was cleared by four neurosurgeons and multiple tests, something still went wrong. The brain is a complex organ that is slow to heal and challenging to understand. Each human is a unique being, and with that, so is each brain. No two cases are handled the exact same way and how one person recovers can’t be compared to another in a similar situation.
Although research about the dangerous effects of head injuries existed long before, the National Football League (NFL) waited until 1994 to create a committee to investigate the effects of head trauma. In 2006, they released an article stating the mild TBIs of players aren’t serious injuries, contrary to decades of research previously conducted.
A 2005 study by the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes determined NFL players with at least three concussions were five times more likely to experience mild cognitive impairment and three times more likely to have significant memory loss than players with less. In 2007, the NFL finally adopted the concussion guidelines across the league.
As the NFL ignored brain injuries, Jason Luckasevic at Goldberg, Persky & White became the first attorney to file lawsuits on behalf of retired NFL players. His first two featured more than 120 former players dealing with the devastating effects of a brain injury.
Additionally, he is the first lawyer to bring an individual personal injury lawsuit on behalf of a former NCAA college football player.
The consequences of head trauma are unpredictable and life changing. If you or someone you love played professional or collegiate football and sustained multiple head injuries that are now revealing their lasting effects, contact us. We may be able to help.
For more information, visit http://sportsbrainlawyers.com.
Footnotes
Associated Press. (2014). Will McKamey dies after collapsing. ESPN. [Link]
Associated Press. (2014). Navy RB who collapsed has brain injury; family says he faces ‘long road’ ahead. FOX Sports. [Link]
Brain Injury Association of America. (2014). About Us; March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. BIAA. [Link]
Maese, R. (2014). Navy football player Will McKamey in critical condition with head injury. The Washington Post. [Link]
