New York City Hit For $19 Million Of $36 Million Verdict For Youth Brain-Damaged In Bike Accident

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Posted on 9th October 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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New York City is liable for $19 million of a $36 million verdict awarded to a boy bicyclist who sustained brain damage when he was hit by a car, the New York Post reported Sunday. 

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/jury_hits_city_for_K4dhuTynjmBPy8cWP9omZP

The city’s responsbility for $19 million would be the biggest legal award paid by the city ever, according to the Post.

New York City has moved to have the verdict set aside, claiming that the fact that it didn’t install traffic-calming measures on Gerritsen Avenue, where the accident took place, was not a factor in the incident that forever changed the life Anthony Turturro. He was 12 when he was sustained brain injury as a result of the accident, and is now 19.  

A Brooklyn jury awarded Turturro the $36 million on May 26, the Post reported. The panel determined that the city was 40 percent liable and that the driver that hit Turturro, Louis Pascarella, was liable for 50 percent. The jury that the victim was 10 percent responsible for the accident.

Turturro had been on his way home from Christmas tree lighting Dec. 4, 2004 when he was hit by Pascarella, who had a suspended license, and was driving a red Honda 55 mph in a 30 mph zone, according to the Post,

The youth was in rehab fot two years at St. Mary’s Healthcare System  in Bayside, Queens, “learning how to walk and talk,” according to the Post. He is now at Adelphi Academy, a school for the disabled, and has a guide dog that helps him stay balanced.

Pascarella pleaded guilty to felony reckless assault, and was sentenced to probation, the Post reported. 

Should Children Participate in the Sport of Boxing? “No!”, Experts Say Still Others Disagree

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Posted on 30th August 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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What seems like a cut and dry answer to a simple question to many, have people on the inside of boxing touting the benefits of kids and boxing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44310083/ns/health-childrens_health/#.TlvCTDvZ9Qc

The American Academy of Pediatrics “vigorously oppose boxing for child or adolescent”.  That statement was applauded by other experts world-wide.

Boxing enthusiasts on the other hand, believe safety is the number one priority when it comes to organizing youth boxing.  It is a form of “discipline and work ethic” says Pat Russo, a retired cop from Brooklyn, New York.

Despite recent evidence that boxing Traumatic Brain Injuries among boxing youth is on the rise, thousands of kids box across America each year.

The old adage remains:  ‘You can play baseball.  You can play football.  You can’t play boxing.’

National Institute of Health to Build a Central Database on Traumatic Brain Injury

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Posted on 29th August 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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The NHI will partner with the Department of Defense to build a database will enable experts in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TBI.  The central repository will include new data, current databases and will allow for study comparisons.  The DoD involvement is crucial due to vast number of combat soldiers returning from active duty with TBI—DoD has documented 200,000 Service Members with TBI over the past 12 years.  Nationally, 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occur annually.  TBI total fiscal impact in the United States is estimated at $60 Billion.

A database for Traumatic Brain Injury has a model to build after.  The NIH developed a successful database for Autism Research likewise will save up to 50 percent in project costs and speed research time to achieve meaningful results.

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2011/ninds-29.htm

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes is the leading funder of brain and nervous system research.

TBI is a burden borne by every age group, by every single segment of society.  Its common causes vary greatly and this database will be an integral tool for the treatment and prevention of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Horrific Stage Collapse Tragedy at Indiana State Fair—5 Dead, Dozens Injured. Preventable?

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Posted on 15th August 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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It was a clear and sunny day when suddenly a storm front came through the Indiana State Fair Grounds on Saturday. Thousands of concert goers were just minutes away from watching the group Sugarland take to the stage. Just minutes after an announcement warning of the possibility of severe weather that was in the area, a cloud of dust, high winds and rain came blowing into the crowd. The winds toppled the light and stage rigging above stage and it fell onto the crowd of people near the stage. The ensuing chaos left 5 concert-goers dead and dozens injured including many very seriously with traumatic brain injuries, neck injuries, and broken bones, according to eyewitness accounts.

http://news.yahoo.com/stage-collapse-kills-4-ahead-sugarland-concert-075121218.html?ugccmtnav=v1%2Fcomments%2Fcontext%2F3d580865-af0c-30dd-9530-a28ddd5eb232%2Fcomments%3Fcount%3D20%26sortBy%3DhighestRated%26isNext%3Dtrue%26offset%3D80%26pageNumber%3D4

Many questions about the tragedy are rushing in to authorities of the State Fair. Was there adequate notice of the impending storm? Was the notice received and acted on? Was the stage structure adequately constructed? Was this horrible event preventable?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/indiana-stage-collapse-was-it-preventable/2011/08/15/gIQAvXa9GJ_blog.html

The result of the impending investigations for answers to these and other questions will shed light into the fatal event of Saturday at the Indiana State Fair. It will also provide a guide to future outdoor concert organizers regarding accurate specific to locale weather alerts, early and accurate dissemination of those warnings and structure standards for temporary use structures. We believe that the tragedy could have been avoided with proper weather information and warning to the concert-goers and adherence to stricter standards for temporary structures. Senseless deaths and traumatic brain injuries could have been avoided with better communication from the Fair officials.

Boy, 12, Drowns, Five Days Later Regains Consciousness, Talks to His Rescuer, Girl, 12

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Posted on 11th August 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Hero. That is one word that describes 12 year old Nicole Kissel. She went out into heavy surf and braved rip tides on her wake board off the Washington coast to rescue a boy Charles ‘Dale’ Ostrander, 12, whom she saw flailing in the water. Once on the wake board, the two pre-teens attempted to paddle to shore when a wave knocked them both off and into the water. Nicole could not find Dale in the water and returned to shore.

http://news.yahoo.com/girl-put-life-line-save-wash-state-boy-070434933.html

A rescue team had been summoned and eventually found Dale floating two to three feet below the surface. By all indications, Dale appeared to be dead. CPR was administered on the way to the hospital. Suddenly, he regained his pulse. Five days later, in an ICU, Dale began talking to his parents. And to his rescuer whom he told her “Thank you”. It was the second team of rescuers that estimated that Dale had been submerged for at least 15 minutes. Doctors cautioned the family of Dale that being drowned for that period of time would leave him with brain damage. The doctors indicated factors in Dale’s favor following a near-death drowning are length of time in the water, cold temperature of the water, young age of the survivor and that Dale had on a long sleeve shirt to keep of his body temperature up. Odds of traumatic brain injury lessen in many near-drowning victims when CPR is administered immediately. The fact that a little girl risked her own life to save the life of another is a testimony to her bravery. Even though Dale and Nicole got wiped out off of her boogie board, the time that Dale spent out of the water saved his life.

Bicycle Helmet-Wearing Former NFL Quarterback Spared Head Injury

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Posted on 2nd August 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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If you think wearing a bicycle helmet is for wimps, think again. Joey Harrington, a 33 year old former National Football League quarterback, was struck from behind by a driver of an SUV while riding a bike. On Sunday, July 31st, 2011, Harrington was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries including a broken collarbone, a punctured lung, and a cut on his head. The crash caused Harrington to land on the vehicle. He was upside down when he skidded off and landed on his head and shoulder. Harrington was wearing a bicycle helmet which prevented much more serious injury. Harrington is expected to be released from the hospital on Tuesday, August 02, 2011. “>

Beaten Baseball Fan Suffered Traumatic Brain Injury

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Posted on 2nd August 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Bryan Stow, 42, a San Francisco paramedic, who was attacked by two suspects on March 31st at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, last week has been upgraded from ‘critical’ to ‘serious’ condition but his doctors say they remain “extremely cautious about interpreting his progress”. Stow is able to open his eyes and respond to basic commands. Doctors said Stow suffered a 30-second seizure recently and underwent surgery to relieve fluid built up in this head. http://www.thirdage.com/news/bryan-stow-injured-giants-fan-undergoes-more-surgery_07-22-2011

New details of the attack, that has spurred nation-wide public outrage, were released at a bond reduction hearing on August 1st. Stow was punched on the side of his head from behind. As fellow paramedics witnessed, Stow become unconscious before he fell to the asphalt covered parking lot. Stow was unable to impede his fall. Witnesses further heard his head hit the asphalt and observed his head bounce upon hitting the ground. Once on the ground, one of the two beating suspects kicked Stow numerous times in the head. The other suspect also kicked Stow in the head. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/court-documents-describe-attack-on-giants-fan-at-dodger-stadium/2011/08/01/gIQAuwWlnI_story.html

Battlefield Soldiers and Football Players with TBI have Higher Risk to get Dementia, Studies Show

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Posted on 1st August 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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A new study introduced at the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference in July, suggest a strong link between head injuries in veterans and dementia. Soldiers who had suffered brain injury were two times more likely to develop the brain disorder. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43797462 Another study indicates an even more ominous prognosis for another group of veterans: retired football players. The research shows that by almost three times the normal rate, 35% of former NFL gridiron warriors studied had signs of dementia, compared to 13% in the general population. Other detailed studies done by research scientists at various universities including Loyola University in Chicago, UCLA and at the University of Pennsylvania, research indicates a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and the development of ‘brain clogging plaque and tangles’ that are known to cause Alzheimer’s and dementia. The new research on combat veterans is especially worrisome to Dr. Douglas Smith, of the Penn Center for Brain Injury and Repair. He suggested that these injuries and long term effects to the brain may make the “Agent Orange” concerns of a generation ago “pale by comparison”.

Skier Lindsey Vonn Races, And Exhibits Concussion Symptoms, Even After Tests Clear Her

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Posted on 14th February 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Champion skier Lindsey Vonn this weekend acted the way NFL players used to act: She returned to the “field,” so to speak, while still not fully recovered from a concussion.

New York Times sports writer Alan Schwarz, the paper’s concussion expert, did an analysis, headlined “Ski Team’s Protocols Fail Vonn,”  of her recent experience with brain injury. Vonn opted to race in skiing championships in Germany, and came in second.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/sports/skiing/14vonn.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper

Essentially, Schwarz was trying to convey what a huge risk Vonn had taken by skiing while she was recovering from a Feb. 2 concussion she sustained during a training run.

As The Times wrote, Vonn and the U.S. Ski Team “appeared to hit the trifecta of concussion no-no’s: They called the injury mild, blindly followed so-called concussion tests, then discounted clear signs that her injury remained.”

Roughly a week after her brain injury, Vonn passed concussion tests, according to Schwarz. Those tests gauged memory and balance. So Vonn raced in the super-G at the world championship, placing seventh. During that race, Vonn later said she was “in a fog,” according to Schwarz.     

He quoted her as saying, “My head just isn’t thinking fast enough. I can’t process the information fast enough, and that gets me behind on the course. My body is one gate ahead of where my mind is, and that’s not a good way to ski.”

As Schwarz so eloquently put it, “Rarely has any athlete so clearly described the real-time cognitive effects of an unhealed concussion.”

But Vonn was undaunted by her feelings after that race. She rested last Wednesday, took more concussion tests on Thursday and did a practice run, and also did a full-bore run on Friday. According to Schwartz, on that Friday run Vonn “lost focus” halfway down the course.

Despite her mental problems while racing, and heeding the neurological tests she had passed, Vonn raced Sunday and finished second.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/sports/14skiing.html?ref=todayspaper

“If an NFL player was allowed to compete under those conditions, the team (and league itself) would be roundly flayed for endangering his health,” Schwarz wrote.

He took the U.S. Skiing and Snowboard Association to task repeatedly for  saying in press releases that Vonn had sustained a “mild” concussion. The assocation also defended its concussion protocol, saying that its tests were up to date and that Vonn had not shown any symptoms or flunked a test before a race.

Skiing officials defended that protocol despite Vonn’s “subsequent fogginess and impaired balance midway through all three races,” according to Schwartz.

After coming in second Sunday, Vonn said she had made a safe choice to race since she had passed all her medical tests.

But one slip, one bad move, caused by her concussion could have destroyed Vonn and her skiing career, which is the point of Schwartz’s analysis. That’s because getting hit in the head while still recovering from a concussion can lead to permanent brain damage.

The bravado of a top athlete should not trump safety, and protecting one’s brain.    

 

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Could Be Moved To A Rehab Center Soon

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Posted on 17th January 2011 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is continuing to make what doctors call miraculous progress after being shot in the head, and will be on her way to a rehabilitation facility soon, according to press reports Monday. 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703396604576088303403067640.html

Giffords’ relatives have already started the hunt for a rehab center for the congresswoman, who was shot in a Jan. 8 massacre at a Tuscon where six people were killed and 14 were injured, her neurosurgeon said during a press conference Monday.

She is doing so well she could be ready to move to a rehab center in anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Giffords is continuing to show hopeful signs that her cognitive abilities weren’t destroyed when she was shot through the head by her alleged assailant Jared Loughner. For example, she has smiled at her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, and even rubbed his back for 10 minutes.     

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/17/AR2011011702542.html?hpid=topnews

During the weekend doctors operated on Giffords’ right eye socket, which was injured when the bullet that went though her skull pushed pieces of bone into that eye. Surgeons mended the right eye by putting titanium mesh in it.

It’s still not known what kind of vision she will have in that eye, just as it isn’t known yet how much her head wounds will be affecting her brain function.

Over the weekend doctors at University Medical Center in Tucson took Giffords off a ventilator and removed a breathing tube from her mouth, replacing it with one that goes right into her windpipe.

On Monday it was also revealed that Arizona has a statute that says if a public official ceases to “discharge the duties of office for the period of three consecutive months”  that office can be considered vacant, to be filled by a special election. But no one knows what are considered “duties” under the law.    

 

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