Appearing on 60 Minutes on May 5, the retired Army major recalled rushing into battle still reeling from a concussion days before, fighting the enemy while unable to see straight. Staying alive in combat is a struggle all its own. Richards didn’t need to be fighting his own brain — he had enough enemies in Iraq.

This became all too common. Richards would suffer several concussions, and they would end his Army career. They came close to ending his life.

‘Suicide Risk High’

After leaving combat, Richards landed a coveted gig teaching at the Army academy at West Point. But he couldn’t do his job. His mind would go blank. Superiors deemed him a “suicide risk” and noted he was “unable to accomplish any aspect of his job.”

His wife told 60 Minutes he spent a lot of time at home behind closed doors, alone. She didn’t know what was wrong with him. They said it was post-traumatic stress disorder. She didn’t know what a traumatic brain injury was.

Richards is not alone — not even close. Roughly 250,000 American men and women have suffered a concussion on the battlefield in the last 11 years, a military official told 60 Minutes. The lasting effects of those injuries are impossible to quantify. But one thing is for sure: the Pentagon has finally started paying attention.

Generals Take Notice

60 Minutes spoke with retired General Pete Chiarelli, who was for a time the Army’s second-in-command. When he took that role in 2008, he knew next to nothing about brain injuries.

“I had no idea that traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress were, in fact, the two largest categories of injuries we had,” he told 60 Minutes.

As it turned out, it was thanks to Chiarelli that top military brass began to recognize the immensity of the problem. And it was Chiarelli who issued the order than any soldier who suffers a concussion on the battlefield in Iraq would not return to combat until healed.

While the military has taken notice, much of the legwork addressing the problem has actually come from the private sector. A generous donor funded the National Intrepid Center for Excellence, a state-of-the-art facility at Washington’s Walter Reed Military Medical Center dedicated to soldier head injuries.

That’s where Ben Richards found out it wasn’t post-traumatic stress disorder causing his problems. He had a brain injury. It was clear as day on a scan of his brain. It was somewhat comforting for him to see that it was, in fact, something real that had been plaguing him for years. He could point to it.

The Future

60 Minutes closed the segment by speaking with Arnold Fisher, the benefactor who helped fund the brain center at Walter Reed. He’s raising money to build nine more across the country. It will cost $90 million. Information on the effort, as well as how to donate, can be found here.

It’s somewhat shocking to think it’s not the government building these hospitals to care for soldiers — it’s generous American citizens.

And there is still a long way to go. If nine new centers are built, the Defense Department will be able to care for 9,000 new brain injuries a year.

Whether or not the centers are built, the military is expecting that many new brain injuries annually. The question isn’t whether they will occur. It’s whether or not the government will be able to treat those brave men and women.

Who We Are

The Brain Injury Law Center is a law firm that represents the victims of traumatic brain injuries. We support raising awareness about brain injuries and how to treat them in soldiers and regular citizens alike.

But how do those parents know whether it’s just a minor bump — a part of growing up — or something more serious? Serious brain injuries do not always seem like much when they occur.

Researchers have come up with a set of guidelines for determining this after a large study in 2009. Every parent should become familiar with them.

2 Categories

In addition to physical exams, one of the most useful diagnostic tools is a patient’s description of pain. In children too young to talk, this is not possible. A San Diego pediatric emergency doctor recently wrote in a column that the following are warning signs of a potentially serious head injury in a child under 2 years old:

• Falls from more than 2 feet high
• Loss of consciousness
• Altered behavior
• A large bump that develops anywhere on the head but the forehead

For children over 2, the following are causes for concern that warrant medical attention:

• Loss of consciousness
• Vomiting
• Change in behavior
• Severe headache
• Falls from a “significant” height

If any child experiences seizures of bleeding from the ears, a parent needs to bring them to a doctor or emergency room immediately, the doctor wrote.

What to Expect

If you bring your child to the hospital, they may conduct a CT scan to examine the skull and the brain. The painless exam can quickly detect life-threatening injuries that are not visible otherwise.

If the CT scan shows no problems, your child will likely be sent home. The doctor will probably ask you to keep a close eye on him or her for the next day or so to make sure no other symptoms develop.

If your child has suffered a concussion – which occurs when the brain rattles around excessively inside the skull — the doctor will order rest. There is no quick cure for a concussion, nor can it be detected in a test.

About Us

The Brain Injury Law Center provides legal assistance to the victims of serious brain injuries. We want to help keep out kids safe. That’s why we offer free bicycle helmets to underprivileged children here in Virginia and bring you blogs like this one.

The attorneys represent about 4,200 retired NFL players who are suing the league. They allege the short- and long-term dangers of repeated head injuries were known to the league but ignored. Concussions, football players have said, were treated as simply a part of the game despite the lasting impact they can have.

A Jurisdictional Question

The arguments today are being heard in a Philadelphia federal courtroom. The stakes are high. A judge will decide if the 4,200 cases belong before the courts or whether, due to collective bargaining agreements, they should instead be settled in arbitration.

If the cases remain in court, the players’ attorneys would have access to NFL information through the discovery process. They allege the league was aware of the extent of dangers and actively tried to hide them from players.

“The NFL failed to live up to its responsibility: it negligently heightened players’ exposure to repeated head trauma and fraudulently concealed the chronic brain injuries that resulted,” they wrote in a legal brief, the Associated Press reported.

The NFL, meanwhile, has insisted player safety has always been the highest priority and that they relied on the best available science at all times.

Both sides are represented by politically connected, high-profile attorneys. Paul Clement, who represents the NFL, is a former solicitor general under President George W. Bush who argued the administration’s positions to the U.S. Supreme Court. The lead attorney for the players is David Frederick, who has argued pharmaceutical and other cases to the Supreme Court and is an ally of President Barack Obama, according to the AP.

Dangers Now Well-Known

Chronic head injuries can cause a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. This can lead to depression, aggression, serious cognitive impairment and dementia. A 2012 study examined the donated brains of 85 people who suffered head trauma in football, hockey, boxing or service in combat. Sixty-eight of them — 4 out of every 5 — showed signs of CTE.

Athletes and commentators have wondered about the possible links between repeated head trauma and a slew of recent football tragedies, including the suicide of Junior Seau and the murder-suicide carried out by Jovan Belcher.

If the NFL once turned a blind eye to head injuries, few could accuse them of doing so now. The league recently teamed up with General Electric on a $60 million project to develop new imaging technology to better understand concussions. Money for future research is also including in the NFL’s bargaining agreement with the union representing its players.

We Advocate for Head Injury Victims

The Brain Injury Law Center is committed to representing people who have suffered debilitating head injuries.  We support efforts to better understand the nature of these traumas. Contact us if you have suffered a serious brain injury due to another’s negligence.

Her daughter, now 16, underwent her first brain surgery when she was just 5 days old. Stints at the hospital followed — sometimes for months at a time. Russell is grateful her large family was there to offer support, but they ultimately had to tend to their own lives, while Russell’s remained focused on her daughter’s devastating injury.
“I felt so alone,” she told the Brain Injury Law Center recently. “I had some of the best doctors out there, but none of them ever said, ‘Kim, this is a website, an organization, a resource you can go to to find out more about your daughter’s brain injury.’ That’s what we want to be to people.”

She’s referring to TryMunity, a non-profit online community that brings people together who are affected by traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Users create profiles and interact with one another much like they do on popular social media platforms like Facebook.

Russell is the executive director of the organization, which is based in McKinney, Texas. Here are some highlights from our conversation with her:

Q: TryMunity is relatively new. How has the response been so far?

A: We’re about a year old now. When TryMunity was first launched last May, within 30 days and with no advertising over 500 people had signed up online. For the last 4 or 5 months, we’ve really gotten a handle on who we are. Our goal is to be the Susan G. Komen of TBIs. That’s what we’re morphing into.

Q: What is it about social media that makes it a strong tool for brain injury survivors?

A: The TryMunity website’s social media platform is what the first Facebook looked like. It’s built off that technology. When you suffer a serious brain injury, your life goes from literally hundreds of people down to 2 or 3. Social media allows you to reconnect with other people who understand what you’re going through. They’re in the same exact fight. They’re in different stages of it, which is good. They share information. It opens up the world for them.

Q: What are the common causes of TBIs you’re seeing in people who join the community?

A: The military, as you can imagine. I get literally hundreds of phone calls a week from spouses or parents of our veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and they need help. Another huge demographic for us are retired football players. Then, of course, you have parents whose children have fallen off a bicycle. Also car accident and stroke victims.

Q: How are people finding TryMunity?

A: The biggest thing for us has been word of mouth, which ends up spreading very quickly with TBIs being in the news due to returning veterans and the NFL. It was easy for us to capitalize off the wave they are creating. It’s just a lot of word of mouth, a lot of press releases, meeting other organizations and partnering with them.

Check It Out

If your life has been affected by a TBI, we strongly urge you to check out TryMunity. It is a unique resource that can help not only people living with brain injuries, but also those who love and care about them. Only through compassion, knowledge and understanding can we offer the best futures to those who suffer serious brain injuries. We believe TryMunity offers all of those things, and that’s why we wanted to feature it here at the Brain Injury Law Center.

That is what makes the story of her brain injury, documented recently in a CNN story, particularly compelling: it falls squarely in the “it can happen to anyone” category.

As is sometimes the case, it begins with an injury that goes unnoticed.

‘My Mind Felt Foggy’

An unexpected blizzard hit Kentucky as Corley was driving on Feb. 19, 2012. In whiteout conditions, her car skidded across the highway and struck a guardrail. She felt lucky she was able to step out of her car seemingly uninjured.

A week later, she began to feel sick to her stomach. Light and sound pierced her head and brought pain. Sleep was difficult. When a friend suggested she had suffered a concussion, Corley repeated an oft-assumed but inaccurate thought: that a concussion only occurs when a person is knocked unconscious.

It got worse. After she was diagnosed with a concussion, Corley was unable to perform basic tasks most of us take for granted. She couldn’t focus on the words other people spoke, and she blurted out things she didn’t mean to say. Her balance and coordination were off. And when she sat down at a computer, the woman who wrote and read for a living found she could no longer make sense of written English.

“… I will never forget that feeling of utter devastation as I gazed into my computer screen,” she wrote in the article. “I was a journalist, a graduate student, and a writer, but I could not read a basic declarative sentence. The words just didn’t make sense to me. My brain wanted to read in the direction up to down instead of left to right.”

Road to Recovery

Corley needed the help of others to perform basic tasks. It was only through the help of friends that she completed her schooling. She couldn’t send an email or even be trusted to remember to turn off the stove after cooking. She went from doing to simply being, as she described it.

She is undergoing neuropsychological testing so doctors can get a more complete picture of her brain and how it is functioning. Overcoming a concussion, she says, is like “waking up from a dream.”

More than a year later, Corley says she’s 85% recovered. Her doctors don’t know how much of that remaining 15% is attainable.

 A Cautionary Tale

Corley’s story is a candid look at the assumptions and realities surrounding traumatic brain injuries. It is also a first-hand narrative about what it is like to live every day with a brain injury that affects all aspects of life.

At the Brain Injury Law Center, we know that serious brain injuries can result from what appears to be a minor accident. We want everyone else to know this, too, and that’s why we are sharing this CNN story with you. Share it with others so they know a concussion is not always obvious.

Southern California-based Diversified Technical Systems has designed sensors that are embedded in a soldier’s helmet to measure the acceleration associated with a head injury — even ones with no immediate symptoms. The information is then studied by the Army’s Traumatic Brain Injury program in Falls Church, Virginia.

Diagnosing, treating and preventing head injuries are nothing new for the armed forces. According to the government, soldiers have suffered more than 250,000 brain injuries – a quarter of a million – since 2000.

“It will hopefully someday help them to diagnose traumatic brain injuries, and help get guys medical attention when they need it, or learn how to make the helmets better,” the president and co-founder of Diversified Technical Systems told the Orange County Register.

A Broader Purpose

Science and technology continue to offer new ways for us to learn about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). We can’t effectively prevent TBIs if we don’t understand them. This is just as true of soldiers overseas as it is of high schoolers on the local football field.

Sensors like those developed by Diversified Technical Systems have also been used by the Air Force. The National Football League is also using them in an effort to address its own problem with head injuries. Football is, of course, not the only sport that deals with the consequences of head injuries.

A TBI can happen to anyone in a split-second from a fall, car accident or any number of other situations. The effects can be devastating and require a lifetime of rehabilitation and medical expenses. Anything we can do better to understand and prevent them is a positive step.

Prevention Means Being Proactive

The Brain Injury Law Center is committed to helping people who have suffered TBIs, and we do our part to try to prevent them. We’ve offered free bicycle helmets to local children to protect them in the case of an accident. We represent people who have suffered a brain injury due to negligence. And we support the efforts of science to better understand our brains, how they work and how they can be harmed.

Their prevalence in football, and the National Football League’s history of downplaying their seriousness, was pushed into the spotlight this season in the wake of the suicide of Junior Seau and Jovan Belcher’s murder of his girlfriend and subsequent suicide.

At long last, players are talking about head injuries. But it remains to be seen what the league will do about it.

‘I’m Scared to Death’

Rodney Harrison, a retired safety who played for the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots, told the L.A. Times recently that he was “scared to death” about the consequences of the estimated 20 concussions he suffered in 15 years of playing in the NFL. He is worried that the symptoms, which already include headaches and anxiety, will become worse as he gets older.

The NFL, he said, didn’t talk about concussions. Playing through an injury was just a part of the game. Harrison told the newspaper:

“I would get up, hit someone, the entire stadium is spinning around, and I would walk to the sideline and they would hold me out for one play, they’d give me two Advils, and they’d tell me, ‘Get back into the game.’

Brain Injuries in Football — Still Ignored?

Repetitive brain injuries can result in a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can lead to full-blown dementia.

More than 4,000 former NFL players are suing the league, alleging it failed to educate and protect players from dangerous head injuries.

In the run-up to the big game this year, college football powerhouse Louisiana State University took some fire for canceling an event focusing on brain injuries at its campus in New Orleans, the Super Bowl’s host city for 2013. No explanation was given for canceling the student-organized event, which was supposed to take place three days before the game.

Traumatic brain injuries are serious matters that affect athletes at all levels, from youths to adults, as well as people from all walks of life. They can be prevented. If you have suffered a serious head injury because someone else put you at risk, contact the Brain Injury Law Center today to speak with an attorney.

What’s Going On?

Increased helmet use should mean a decrease in head injuries. Several factors could play a role in why head injuries are on the rise. Increased risky behavior is likely partially responsible. Athletes are pushing their limits more and more each year, trying harder and riskier stunts. These stunts come with an increased risk of traumatic brain injury. Another factor likely contributing to the rise is that more head injuries are being diagnosed and treated as the awareness of concussion increases. This is actually a very positive development. Recognizing and getting treatment for traumatic brain injury is key to preventing second-impact syndrome, caused by a second blow to the head before the initial concussion heals. Second-impact syndrome can be deadly serious.

Don’t Let a Head Injury Ruin Your Day on the Slopes

Stay safe on the slopes by wearing proper gear and skiing within your abilities. Wear a helmet designed for skiing and snowboarding that fits properly. The NSAA provides quality information on proper helmet use. Remember, however, that a helmet does not make you invincible. A fall or collision can still cause a brain injury, though it will likely be less serious if you are wearing a helmet. Skiing and snowboarding are supposed to be fun and challenging, so have fun and try new things, but know your limits and respect them.

I Fall All the Time. How do I Know if I Have a Concussion?

Falling is often par for the course in snow sports, especially for beginners. Not all falls cause traumatic brain injuries, but you may not realize immediately if one does. Alexis Krisay of Phoenix, Ariz. had one such experience when snowboarding at Mammoth Mountain in California. She was wearing a helmet when she caught an edge and fell backward, hitting her head. She initially shook off the fall, but on the lift she began to feel nauseous and fading in and out of consciousness. Her husband recognized that something was wrong and got her off the mountain. In team sports you have a coach looking out for signs of concussion, but when you are on the slopes, there is only you and your buddies. Know the signs and symptoms of concussion and if you suspect you have one, call it a day and go to the doctor.

Signs:

• Dazed or stunned
• Confused
• Forgetful
• Clumsy
• Loss of consciousness
• Mood or behavioral changes
• Inability to recall events prior to or after the fall

Symptoms:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Double or blurry vision
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Feeling groggy or sluggish
• Memory loss
• Confusion

Contact Us

Traumatic brain injury is a serious matter. When engaging in risky activities you have the responsibility to act with caution, but operators also have a responsibility to maintain the premises and take necessary action to provide a safe environment. Failure to do so puts athletes in harm’s way and may count as negligence. If you or a loved one has experienced a traumatic brain injury, please contact us immediately as you may be eligible for compensation. We provide a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys to discuss your legal options.

New Regulations Cover Five TBI-related Diseases

The new regulations would give medical benefits to veterans who suffered a TBI during their military service and developed:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Unprovoked seizures
• Certain dementias
• Hormone deficiency related to the hypothalamus, pituitary or adrenal glands
• Depression

The changes represent a huge victory for soldiers who sustained a TBI and will grant them the care they deserve for having served our country.

There are, however, some requirements and limitations that may draw criticism from veteran groups.

Benefit Requirements

• Only soldiers who sustained a TBI during their military service are eligible.
• Parkinson’s disease and unprovoked seizures are covered only in the case of moderate or severe brain injury.
• Dementia is covered only in the case of moderate or sever injury, and only if it develops within 15 years of the TBI.
• Hormonal deficiencies are covered only in the case of moderate or severe injury, and only when they develop within one year of injury.
• Depression is covered for mild, moderate and severe brain injury. In the case of mild TBI, the condition must develop within one year of injury, and for moderate and severe TBI, it must develop within three years of injury.

These limits are based on a 2008 study published by the Institute of Medicine on the long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury. The study reported that evidence linking mild TBI to most of the diseases was limited. Mild TBI, however, can have serious repercussions that should be considered.

A Step in the Right Direction

Although the new regulations come with limitations, they are an important step in the right direction. Awareness of TBI and its consequences is steadily increasing on the military and civilian fronts. The new policy will help thousands of veterans injured during service receive the medical coverage they deserve to care not only for the original TBI, but also the conditions that resulted from it. The regulations also represent the willingness of the Department of Veterans Affairs to reshape policy as we learn more about how TBIs can affect the brain.

Have You Suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury?

Traumatic brain injury, whether mild, moderate or severe, can alter your life in unexpected ways. If you or a loved one has suffered from a TBI, please contact us immediately. You may be eligible for compensation to help you face the financial burden of those changes. We provide a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys to discuss your legal options.

And yet, on Dec. 1, 2012, Belcher shot and killed his girlfriend in front of his mother and then killed himself in front of his head coach, Romeo Crennel, and the general manager of the Chiefs, Scott Pioli. He left behind a 3-month-old baby girl.

Stories and Research Agree: Repetitive Brain Injury Causes Serious Brain Damage

This tragic story is one of many terrible illustrations of how traumatic brain injury (TBI) can turn a vibrant individual into someone totally unrecognizable.

Jovan Belcher’s murder-suicide came one day before the publication of a study in Brain showing brain damage in the autopsied brains of athletes and combat veterans. Eighty-five donor brains were examined. Sixty-eight of them had evidence of a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

CTE has four stages:

1. Headaches and problems with concentration
2. Depression, aggression, explosive anger and short-term memory loss
3. Serious cognitive impairment
4. Full-blown dementia

Genetic factors and the number and severity of TBIs throughout a lifetime both likely play a role in the development of CTE.

Jovan Belcher may or may not have had CTE. The only way to tell for sure is to examine his brain. What we do know is that he had personality changes associated with TBI:

• Substance abuse
• Disinhibition
• Inability to control anger
• Impulsiveness
• Violence

And we know he had a job in which blows to the head are a matter of routine.

TBI Can Happen to Anyone

Traumatic brain injury is a serious matter, and it can occur without warning in sports, car crashes, falls or other accidents. The current events in football have brought attention and awareness to brain injury, but remember that athletes are not the only people whose lives are altered by TBI.

In a split-second, your life can be changed by brain injury and the consequences and treatment can be devastating and costly. Some of these costs include inability to work, physical and cognitive therapy and changes in or loss of relationships. If you have suffered a TBI, please contact us immediately as you may be eligible for the compen sation you need to help alleviate the financial strain of treatment and therapy. We provide a free consultation with one of our experienced and compassionate attorneys during which we will discuss your legal options.