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Archive of ‘Types of Injuries’ category

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Can Damages for Accident Injuries be Recovered If a Motorcyclist is Not Wearing a Helmet

Many motorcyclists who have been in accidents wonder how helmet wear or non-use of a helmet affects their recovery for injuries or other damages as part of a personal injury claim. The bottom line in these cases is that your individual state’s motorcycle laws play a major role in these matters. To get all of the answers you need and guidance as part of a motorcycle accident injury claim, you need to gain the consultation of a personal injury lawyer in your state, or the state where your accident occurred.

Almost all U.S. states require motorcyclists to wear helmets. Only in Illinois, New Hampshire and Iowa are there no requirements for helmet wear during motorcycle use.

Arizona Laws Regarding Helmet Wear by Motorcycle Riders

In Arizona, only riders under the age of 18 years are required by law to wear a helmet. Anyone else aged 18 or older can make their own choice regarding head protection during use of their motorcycle.

In early 2016, Arizona House Bill 2052 was an attempt by some legislators to change the law to mandatory helmet wear. That bill failed and was not passed into law. So Arizona riders can still feel the wind in their hair, as they ride without this form of protection on the state’s roadways.

While Arizona does not require adult motorcyclists to wear helmets, these laws exist in other states for the riders’ own safety. According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, of every 100 motorcycle riders not wearing a helmet who are fatally injured in an auto accident, approximately 37 of those would have survived their crash injuries if a helmet had been worn. Even more injured victims would have suffered less significant injuries if they had been wearing a helmet.

Mandatory Helmet Laws Affect Damages for Accident Injuries

If you are riding your motorcycle in a state that does have a mandatory helmet law, not wearing a helmet at the time of your accident can affect your case against the at-fault driver. In fact, it could make it very difficult to recover some forms of compensation. This is because your choice to not wear a helmet despite the law qualifies your actions as comparative fault.

Comparative fault refers to your carelessness that contributed to your own accident injuries. Because you chose to ignore the helmet law in such a state, you may not be able to recover anything for head or neck injuries. But you may still be able to recover damages for injuries on other parts of your body not typically protected by a helmet, as well as for other losses.

How States without Helmet Laws View Your Personal Injury Claim

Any personal injury claim filed after a motorcycle accident can be affected by non-use of a helmet, even in states where helmet laws do not exist. How the case is affected is reliant upon the type of damages sought for recovery. Insurance adjusters typically try to prove through documented evidence how wearing a helmet could have protected you, therefore asserting that you made a bad decision that contributed to your own injuries and reduced the defendant’s responsibility in some regards.

If injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident were not of the head and neck, helmet wear will not be a factor in your case. But if it can be shown that wearing a helmet may have saved you from your accident injuries, it may be hard to recover the full amount of the damages you seek. This is because you made the conscious decision to not wear protective head gear, knowing that a helmet could prevent injury in an accident.

If you were wearing a helmet in your accident in a “no helmet required” state, that could help your case because it reflects responsibility on your part, as a motorcycle rider. If you suffered injury to your head or neck despite wearing a helmet, your claim will certainly benefit. Showing that you tried to keep yourself safe and were not careless about that safety is a definite positive as a plaintiff. This also shows how much more serious your injuries could have been due to the negligent driver’s actions, if you did not make that responsible choice.

How to Gain the Compensation You Deserve for Arizona Motorcycle Accident Damages

If you are an Arizona motorcyclist and you were not wearing a helmet in your motorcycle accident that was someone else’s fault, you can still work to prove that your injuries would have been equally serious if you had been wearing a helmet. By having a skilled and experienced Arizona motorcycle accident and personal injury lawyer, you can recover the compensation you deserve – helmet or no helmet. For any personal injury or motor vehicle accident claim, having an experienced personal injury lawyer helps you stand up to insurance adjusters who will try to prove how their insured driver was not responsible for your injuries.

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Head Injuries and Traumatic Brain Injuries are Common Results of Motorcycle Accidents

There are many inherent risks in motorcycle riding, as anyone who owns a motorcycle knows all too well. The greatest among these risks are head injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries suffered in motorcycle accidents. Such injuries can happen regardless of helmet wear, although wearing a protective helmet can certainly help reduce the severity of outcome. Wearing a helmet can even prevent traumatic brain injury in some circumstances.

Brain injuries are unique among injuries commonly suffered by the body, in that the brain is one organ that does not heal well. Broken bones, abrasions, contusions and other injuries of these types of accidents can heal, while brain damage can seriously impact an individual’s quality of life for as long as they live. In many circumstances, motorcycle riders are at first unaware that a brain injury has even occurred.

A motorcycle brain injury can be similar to the type of head injury suffered by actress Natasha Richardson, who was believed to be fine after head trauma suffered in a skiing accident. But she had received a traumatic brain injury that worsened within hours and took her life later that same day.

Whenever you are involved in an accident, such as a motorcycle accident that causes injury, it is important that you seek the consultation of a phoenix personal injury lawyer. You need help dealing with insurance adjusters to ensure you receive the full compensation you should, as part of an accident and personal injury claim.

What Is a Brain Trauma Lawyer?

A brain trauma lawyer is a personal injury attorney who has experience in dealing with insurance claims following brain injury sustained during a motorcycle accident. When you are the victim of a motorcycle accident that is no fault of your own, any injuries you sustain – such as a head or traumatic brain injury – will cause substantial expense in regard to medical treatment costs, imaging studies, property damage, lost income, and other damages. Insurance companies often try to quickly settle these types of insurance claims for lower than the victim deserves or needs to cover the lifetime of expenses that result from such injuries. A brain trauma lawyer will help you after your motorcycle accident, to ensure you are not taken advantage of by insurance adjusters and that you gain the full amount of recovery that you need.

About Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury is more common than you may realize. Such injuries common to car and motorcycle accidents, as well as sports participation, can range from mild to severe. TBIs, as they are known, cause immediate changes in everyday life for most victims. A TBI can seriously alter daily living and may result in permanent loss of functioning. A TBI is the most severe injury the brain can suffer and is often the result of a head impact. During that impact the brain actually jars, moves or twists within the protective skull.

In many ways, your brain defines who you are and charts the course of your future. When you lose functioning of one or more areas of your brain, you can suffer tragic alterations to your life. You will incur hefty medical costs, loss of wages, and possibly even long-term damages such as home health care expenses.

Traumatic brain injuries can cause any or all of the following immediate effects:

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Loss of sensory perception
  • Vision changes, loss, or blurring
  • Light intolerance
  • Attention deficit
  • Concentration problems
  • Memory loss or lapses
  • Speech problems, such as slurring
  • Problems with reading, writing and other forms of communication
  • Difficulty understanding others’ speech or communications
  • Seizures or seizure disorder
  • Hearing loss or sensitivity
  • Sleep disorders, such as insomnia
  • Appetite changes
  • Paralysis
  • Emotional problems
  • Coma
  • Loss of daily or essential functioning

There are a host of issues that traumatic brain injury can cause after a motorcycle accident. Any of these changes or others after your accident qualify you for recovery of damages from the at-fault driver.

After-Effects of TBI: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

Anyone who suffers a TBI, such as in a motorcycle accident, may develop a progressive brain disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). This disease is most well known as causing the degeneration of motor skills, communication and functioning of sports figures and athletes, such as football players and boxers. A brain autopsy after death is how the condition is most accurately diagnosed, although many people can be presumed to have the condition if they have suffered degeneration of capabilities or functioning after a TBI.

Symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy include:

  • Confusion
  • Memory problems or loss
  • Paranoia
  • Impulse control problems
  • Behavioral issues
  • Depression
  • Aggression
  • Other signs

Patients with CTE or any of these symptoms after TBI often require ongoing medical care, including treatments, diagnostic imaging studies and even long term care. Symptoms may appear quickly after a TBI or may not appear until decades later.

How a Motorcycle Accident and Brain Trauma Lawyer Can Help

An experienced brain trauma lawyer with knowledge of your state’s personal injury laws can help you recover the compensation needed for medical bills, lost income, property damage, life care expenses and other damages associated with the motorcycle accident.

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Brain Injuries, Adding Insult to Injury

It’s one of the tragedies of modern life that Keith Lamont Scott was not responsible for attracting attention to himself.  Nor were the police responsible for misunderstanding his intentions.

It takes all kinds to make a world, according to the old saying, and today – on any ordinary city street – an observer might be able to see anything from couples so in love they fall off the curb to a homeless derelict shuffling his or her way to a safe sleeping spot for the night.

In between these extremes are otherwise ordinary people who may have mental difficulties resulting from head injuries, fetal alcohol syndrome, mental or physical abuse, or simply an imbalance of brain chemicals.

What Happened

In Scott’s case, it was a TBI, or traumatic brain injury. For more general information on TBIs, please visit the Brain Injury Clubhouse.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, people who incur TBIs are twice as likely to die from “unintentional injury”. This is because TBIs affect both thought and balance. People with TBIs can’t always think clearly, and this leads them into compromising situations. They also tend to lose their balance, which makes them appear to be drunk, or on drugs. In Scott’s case, his injuries were so severe he had to relearn how to walk.

TBIs contribute to about one-third of all injury deaths in the United States, and Scott was no exception. In fact, he was only one of 1.7 million people in 2015 to sustain a serious head injury. In Scott’s case, it was the result of a motorcycle accident.

His shooting, on September 20, was prompted by what police later described as disturbing, or threatening, behavior. By one report, he was rolling a marijuana cigarette and holding a gun.  The fact that he was African-American, and living in Charlotte, North Carolina, is – or should be –irrelevant. Scott’s wife disputes the report, notes that Scott was not only injured but on medication, and tended to slur his words, stagger, and behave erratically and impulsively. These are all hallmarks of a TBI and the medications given to help people living with one.

TBIs, the Worst of the Worst

The hardest part of having a TBI is trying to live in the “normal” world and act like nothing is wrong. Alzheimer’s and other dementia victims are pitied and given special consideration, but the victims of TBI are basically self-reporting. If they happen also to be black and living in a poor neighborhood, the likelihood is that they will not be believed, perhaps particularly by law enforcement.

A similar situation exists in the workplace. Most TBI victims go first to the ER, and then later to the doctor. But not all head injuries can be immediately assessed or evaluated. It may take months, in fact, to separate TBI-related effects from lack of education or opportunity, and other lifestyle situations impacting the way a person talks, acts and even dresses.

In fact, of the approximately three million TBI victims appearing in the ER each year, only 11 percent are hospitalized, and – thanks to the miracles of modern medicine – 7 percent fewer now die than a decade ago.

Who Are TBI’s Victims?

Most of the victims of traumatic brain injury are either young or old; that is, over 65. Most of the causes are falling, with accidental blunt trauma (being struck on the head) coming second, and motor vehicle crashes coming third. Most of the ER visits for head trauma were among children aged ) 0-4 years. Between the ages of 15 and 44, the most common causes of TBIs are motor vehicle accidents.

Three times as many men as women are afflicted with TBIs, and more likely to die from them simply because males are more active and aggressive.

The Legacy

“Not having an appropriate response in a stressful, chaotic event is certainly a potential effect of a TBI,” said Jeffrey Kutcher, director of the NBA’s concussion program and current owner of a sports neurology clinic in Detroit, Michigan.

According to Kutcher, who never personally treated Scott, the “zoning-out” that Scott’s friends described was likely a direct result of the TBI or the medication Scott was taking. Either way, it is sad that an innocent man died, but the only place to lay blame is on the failure of the human skull to protect against all injuries.

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Preventing Brain Injuries During Summer Activities

summer safety

Summer is the quintessential season for heading outdoors, soaking up the sun and fresh air, and getting active. While children are typically more active than adults during the summer season, both children and adults are at risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury while engaging in a summer activity. Here are some tips for preventing a brain injury during your favorite summer activities:

Swimming & Water Sports

 

Summer wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the beach or pool and it’s a great way to cool off and relax at the peak of summer, but it’s also a potentially dangerous season for brain and head injuries. According to the most recent data available on brain or head injuries released from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 28,716 head injuries occurred in 2009 during a water sport (diving, scuba diving, surfing, swimming, water polo, water skiing, and water tubing. One of the best ways to avoid a head injury while participating in a water sport is to be careful and responsible about diving. Here are some tips to avoid an injury while diving:

 

  • Always enter the water feet first.
  • Never dive into the shallow end of a pool or before checking for objects beneath the water’s surface.
  • Avoid alcohol when you’re participating in any water sport.
  • Know how to avoid and get out of a rip current.

 

Experts also recommend that individuals wear a safety helmet when wakeboarding, kayaking, or when river rafting.

Bicycling, Skating, & Skateboarding

 

According to a study from the New England Journal of Medicine, safety helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88%. Both children and adults should wear a helmet when participating in any wheeled sports like bicycling, in-line/roller skating, scootering and skateboarding. Even the most skilled and experienced individuals are at risk for falling and hitting his or her head on or against a hard surface or be struck by a car.

 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that each year about 2% of motor vehicle crash deaths are bicyclists and head/brain injuries were responsible for the majority of deaths. The best way to avoid a serious brain injury while riding a bicycle is to simply wear a bicycle helmet, regardless if you’re just riding around your neighborhood, on a trail free from motorists, or on the roadways. There are no federal laws in the U.S. requiring the use of bicycle helmets, but in 22 states, bicycle helmets are required for most individuals under the age of 16. Law or not, always encourage your child to wear a helmet and be a good (and safe) role model by wearing one yourself.

Motorcycles

 

Just like bicycling, motorcyclists are at risk of suffering head and brain injuries when involved in an accident. Currently, only 19 states require that motorcyclists wear a helmet, but all motorcyclists and their passengers should wear a helmet, law or not. Motorcyclists that wear a helmet have up to a 73% lower fatality rate than unhelmeted riders. Additionally, unhelmeted motorcyclists are over three times as likely to suffer a brain injury than those who were a helmet.

 

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Concussion Recovery Tips

concussion recovery

Concussions are scary, but recovering from a concussion can be boring. You’re confused, you don’t want to do much, and you’re probably a little unsure of what to do and what to avoid. And recovery times can vary greatly.

Luckily, many people have gone through what you’re doing, and many medical experts have good advice about your recommended activities following a concussion. Here are some of them. Concussions are a pain, but there are good steps you can take to ensure your recovery is as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Stay Home From Work

You may not be sick, exactly, but a concussion is a very good occasion to use your sick time. Stay home from work. Rest is one of the most important things you can do for yourself when you are recovering from a concussion.

Going to work, on the other hand, is probably a bad idea. Working your brain will slow down your recovery time. Doctors suggest you take it easy. You should listen to your doctors. And if your boss is skeptical about your request, remind her or him that the work you would do if your did come in would be sub-par because your mind is not fully functioning. Stay home from work if you’ve got a concussion.

Get Some Light Reading Done

This advice is not for everyone. Doctors advise people with concussions to avoid straining their minds, and for many people, reading of any kind is work. But for serious readers, some light reading might be a good idea.

Just make sure you stick to the easy stuff. Intellectual strain is not recommended for concussion sufferers, so you’ll want to avoid highly technical or complex literary works. Grab some easy beach reading and enjoy.

Eat Up!

Eating is a great way to pass the time, and a concussion is a perfect opportunity to lay off your diet. Ask a trusted person to pick up some good grub for you while you recover. Don’t feel guilty about overeating; you’re in recovery, and some extra calories might give your body the energy it needs to get some extra clean-up work done.

Remember, though, that cooking is a complicated task. Don’t work too hard to get your meals. Order in, or ask a spouse to whip some food up for you.

Take Naps

Nothing rests your mind like sleep. Sleep is the ultimate way your brain has to shut off and build up energy. Doctors recommend that concussion sufferers get an abundance of rest, and napping is one of the best ways to do that. Keep in mind that many medical professionals recommend staying awake immediately after the concussion causing impact itself; speak with your doctor to find out when you should start sleeping.

So get comfy, curl up with your pets and a warm blanket, and take it easy. This will speed up your recovery, help you to put your thoughts together, and avoid doing anything silly in public. Concussions leave you confused, and you will almost certainly want to take lots of naps. Listen to your instinct and get some sleep.  

 

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At-Risk Groups for Traumatic Brain Injury

football brain injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major topic in public health. As an under-discussed but extremely serious condition, TBI awareness needs to be spread among the general population. And even more than the general population, several specific groups need to understand that their situations call for special attention to TBI. If you’re a member of one of these groups, be aware, educate yourself, and stay safe to avoid lasting and brutalizing damage to your body’s central organ.

Athletes and Risks for Brain Injury

Athletes are among the population most at risk for a TBI. Players of heavy hitting sports such as football and boxing are, of course, at the deepest risk. But TBI affects more athletes than just linebackers and welterweight champions. Any athlete can suffer head trauma. In fact, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), cycling is the sport that most commonly associated with brain injury. (The other items in the top five are football, baseball/softball, basketball, water sports (diving, swimming, etc.), and recreational vehicle riding.)

 

If you’re an athlete—of any kind—be careful. Sports enthusiasts suffer TBIs very often. Any small bang to the head can leave you with lasting damage. Even relatively violence-free sports are common sources of injury (see basketball on that list up there?). Fast movements of all sports lead to strong blows to the head. Watch yourself.

Construction Workers and Risks for Brain Injury

Those “hard hat required” signs are there for a good reason. When working construction, hard and heavy object are very likely to come dislodged and knock your head around. Even a small object can severely damage your brain if it falls far and fast enough. Construction workers are vulnerable to pails, planks, wrenches, and countless other objects falling without warning and hitting them in the head.

 

And falling objects aren’t even the most frequent cause of TBIs in construction work. Human falls are. A 2009 study from the medical journal Brain Injury found that simply falling down and hitting a head on the ground was the biggest source of brain injury among construction workers. Construction sites are filled with many tripping hazards, and the fall construction workers take are often longer and harder than the falls people take in most workplaces. If you are a construction worker, be careful on site, wear your hard hat, and walk carefully.

Any Job that Involves Driving

According to the Mayo Clinic, vehicular accidents frequently cause TBIs. Professions in which workers need to drive around regularly—taxi drivers, delivery drivers, postal workers, police, home health aides, etc.—can be potent sources of brain injury danger. Car accidents are, of course, causes of every kind of health problem under the sun, and workers in these jobs are likely already aware of the problems associated with crashes.
If you drive for a living, review your traffic safety skills. Practice defensive driving, watch your surroundings carefully, and wear your seat belt. Even a minor fender bender can give your head a big bump and leave your mind altered forever. Professional drivers can never be careful on the road.

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Understanding Brain Injury

nutrition for brain injury

Brain injury or traumatic brain injury (TBI) happens when there is sudden damage of the skull. Brain injury can be categorized in two parts namely: open brain injury and closed brain injury. The former takes place when a part of the brain is damaged by something intrusive, such as a bullet. This can turn fatal within no time at all. On the other hand, closed brain injury is a more common one as it happens when one gets hit by a heavy object, or suffers a severe blow to the skull. This can result in a concussion or contusion. Whatever the nature of this injury may be, it is very important to take immediate action to avoid any unfavorable circumstances. It is difficult to know for sure when a brain injury happens. Each brain injury is unique in its own way and can have various kinds of ramifications. These are some of the most common causes of brain injury:

  • Falling (by accident)
  • Blow from a heavy object
  • Motor vehicle (car) accidents
  • Violent assaults

It is estimated that approximately 2.6 million people annually suffer from some form of brain injury in the US. It is commonly referred to as the silent epidemic, since many of those afflicted suffer in silence. Even more disturbing is the fact that 52,000 people die every year from this type of injury. Consequently, serious measures must be taken, and more people should be made aware of TBI through social awareness initiatives.

Consequences

Brain injuries are also classified in two parts in terms of consequences. There are mild and severe brain injuries. When the disorientation is less than 30 minutes, it is known as mild brain injury. However, the more dangerous is severe brain injury. That is when the disorientation is far more than 30 minutes. A patient goes into a state of confusion. Physically, some parts of the body can stop working altogether, and this type of injury can even result in death. In this case, the effects can be both temporary and permanent. Unfortunately, a head injury can change a person’s life forever both mentally and physically. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to recognize the cause as soon as possible and take appropriate measures.  

Treatment and prevention

We all know that the brain is one of the most complex part of our body. For this reason, it is very difficult to diagnose and treat a head injury correctly. It can suffice to say that the diagnosis of a brain injury is directly proportional to its severity. The best way to increase chances of treatment is to visit the hospital as soon as one notices the obvious symptoms. Prevention is better than cure. It may sound unbelievably cliché, but it is completely applicable, especially with TBI’s. The significance of this fact can never be neglected. Here are some measures you can take to minimize the risk of a head injury:

  • Use seat belts while driving
  • Use appropriate head gear when taking part in a sports event
  • Never drive under the influence of alcohol  
  • Avoid dangerous or reckless activities

Do you or someone you know suffer from a TBI? How did it happen? Leave your comments below:

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Energy Drinks & TBI

 

Between extra curricular activities like sports, an afterschool job, and a backpack full of homework, as a parent of a busy teenager, you may consider yourself to be lucky if you see your teen at all. Like millions of other young people, your teenager may drink one of the many popular energy drinks from time to time to keep going. If you’re bothered by your teen’s consumption of the sugary and highly caffeinated drink, there’s another reason to urge your teenager to stop drinking energy drinks. Recent studies suggest that teens who drink energy drinks may be more likely to have a traumatic brain injury.

Link Between Energy Drinks and TBIs

 

If your teen drinks an energy drink every now and then it doesn’t automatically mean that he or she will suffer a head injury, but according to a recent Canadian study published in PLOS ONE, the chances may be greater. Researchers theorize that young people who drink energy drinks on a regular basis may be bigger risk takers which may result in traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Think of the advertising that surrounds energy drinks. It isn’t targeted to the young people who spend their time studying, but rather those who are into extreme sports or young people who want to be “wild” or the life of a party.

 

Additionally, teens who reported having a TBI in the past year were 7 times more likely to report drinking at least five energy drinks within a week. The data is compared to teens, within the same age group, who did not have a TBI. Even more troubling results from the study reveal that of the 10,272 teens, between 7th and 12th grade, those who had experienced a TBI within a year were more likely to drink energy drinks mixed with alcohol. Not only is that behavior problematic in terms of underage drinking, but the level of caffeine in energy drinks masks alcohol making it harder to determine when to stop drinking alcohol.

Permanent Damage

 

Given the information revealed in the study, there could be a strong argument that alcohol is really the issue when it comes to teens and TBIs, but more research needs to be done. Researchers conclude that energy drinks with a high amount of caffeine and alcohol, both consumed on their own, can have damaging effects on a developing brain. Remember, the brain doesn’t fully develop until mid-20s to early 30s. Any damage that occurs during the development stages can be permanent. Energy drinks and alcohol can have the same effects on the brains as illicit drugs. Not only can it affect a young person’s brain, but also damage overall health and lead to death.

 

What Can You Do?

As a parent, it may be difficult to take control of your teen’s energy drink consumption, particularly if he or she has a busy extra curricular or social life. The best way to encourage healthy habits is by modeling healthy habits. When you have an open and honest discussion with your teen about drug use and other risky behaviors, incorporate energy drink use into the discussion. If your son or daughter plays sports or stays up late doing homework, encourage natural ways of boosting energy through foods, water, or even caffeinated tea or a small cup of coffee. You can’t keep your teen away from the world of energy drinks, but you can help him or her know the potential dangers.

 

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Back to School & Preventing Brain Injuries

During spring and summer months, as well as weekends, children are more likely to have head injuries, particularly when they are most active outdoors. As a result, many parents find it hard to keep their children injury-free during summer vacation, but once school starts the incidence of injury continues with school sports and during regular activities throughout the school day.

 

Although tripping, falling, and getting minor bumps and bruises seem to be a natural part of being a kid, injuries to the head must always be taken seriously. The Brain Injury Association of America reports that each year, 62,000 children between the ages of 0-19 sustain brain injuries that require hospitalization. Additionally, over 500,000 are treated in the ER for TBI. While you can’t always prevent injuries from occurring, you can make sure your children are safe at school and during extracurricular activities.

In the Classroom, On the Playground

 

Teachers do their best to closely monitor children in the classroom and in the hallways, but children are notorious for goofing around, not thinking about the potentially dangerous outcome. The playground can be particularly dangerous and a frequent place for injuries, despite the close monitoring from a trained staff member. Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye. Although you can’t watch every move your child makes during his or her school day, you can remind him or her how to stay safer at school.

 

  • Avoid engaging in horseplay. Pulling on a friend’s shirt during a game of tag or purposefully bumping or tripping a classmate can cause serious injuries.

 

  • Don’t lean back in chairs and keep all four legs of the chair on the floor. If the chair slips, your child could hit his or her head on the floor, causing a brain injury.

 

  • Follow all rules in the classroom, in the lunchroom, in the hallways, and on the playground.

 

Additionally, as a parent, you should recognize the signs of a TBI, in case your child comes home from school seeming a little “off”. If he or she was engaging in unsafe behaviors he or she may be more likely to withhold information about an injury.

After School, On the Field

 

Organized sports are a wonderful way for your child to gain confidence, be healthy, and work as a team player. Unfortunately, sports are also a common way to receive a life-changing head injury. From a bicycle ride with friends after school to leading the school in a cheer while flipping in the air to making a touchdown before being tackled, most types of sports are potentially dangerous and can lead to a TBI. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to be involved in your child’s extra curricular sports. Showing up and cheering your son or daughter on is encouraging, but make sure the sport is as safe as possible.

 

Talk to the coaches about their safety plans or how they treat head injuries. Do they make players stay out of games until they are given a “go ahead” or are they put back in the game right away? Do players wear protective gear all the time or only during games or matches? Is the sport age appropriate for your child or is it too aggressive? Anytime you feel like your child’s safety is in danger, you should speak up; it could prevent a TBI.

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Is There A Link Between Brain Injury And Homelessness?

Traumatic Brain Injury or TBI is the damage, loss, or deterioration of the brain cells which results from the effect of an outside force such as a blow to the head. It is a common occurrence especially among fighters, contact sport athletes, battle veterans, and in recent times it has been postulated as one of the leading causes behind urban homelessness.

Could it be Coincidence?

According to recent research, there is a very easily identifiable link between homelessness and trauma to the brain. Homeless people are those who are unable to acquire regular housing or residence, and they can be spotted easily in the darker alleys of towns and cities all over the world. A fraction of this population is also characterized by aggressiveness, inability to retain recent memories, confusion and disorientation, and in most cases an infallible urge to relapse even after drug rehabilitation. That these are attitudes and markers often exhibited by TBI patients, or that a large sector of homeless people are battle veterans who are associated with TBI related injuries, is no longer a coincidence.

Research Ties in the Two Conditions

Upon screening dozens of homeless patients, Charles Preston, Director of Psychology services at the Valley Homeless Healthcare Program of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, and his team discovered that a full 71 patients suffered from a form of TBI. Whether the brain injury came prior to the homelessness, or if it is as a result of the homeless condition, Preston cannot exactly surmise. That there is a definite correlation between the two phenomena, is a theory that Ciara Mahan, who first started the screening for cognitive problems among the homeless, would agree with. According to Mahan, this explains the reasons why many homeless individuals are very forgetful, may anger easily, and can be quite argumentative.

Homelessness, TBI, and Vices

It has been shown that a correlation exists between social vices such as addiction, substance abuse, drunkenness, and brain injury. The same exists with homelessness. Homeless individuals often exhibit tendencies towards substance abuse and other social vices. These vices along with socially and psychologically traumatic experiences such as social isolation, family breakdown, and disabilities can result in homelessness.

The Young Homeless Population

The correlation between homelessness and brain injury is not in resultant terms – none is a direct result of the other. Homelessness can result in brain injury. The number of accidents that homeless people get involved in, beatings of homeless people, poor living conditions, rougher and tougher neighborhoods and lifestyles can be a direct cause of brain damage. On the flip side, individuals with pre-existing traumatic brain injuries can also find it difficult to adjust to normal living conditions, leading to them becoming homeless. As many social scientists know correlation does not equal causation. This is a topic that needs deeper research and understanding in order to fully develop an accurate answer.

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