Category Archives: Brain and Spinal Injuries

Spring isn’t the only thing on the way. Thanks to the folks at the Brain Injury Association of America, March also brings an increased awareness of the issues, struggles and successes surrounding traumatic brain injury.

March is the official month for drawing attention to the statistics surrounding brain injury, and highlighting the stories of those who have sustained brain trauma. So… Happy Brain Injury Awareness Month!

This occasion was officially established in Virginia only last year, when Gov. Robert F. McDonnell signed a proclamation recognizing Brain Injury Awareness Month on behalf of the state. In the words of his proclamation, March is a time to “encourage awareness of the extent, causes, consequences, treatment and prevention of TBI.”

Building Awareness

Despite its prevalence in our society, the statistics on brain injury go largely unknown to many. Brain trauma has been called the “silent epidemic” because so few people know what constitutes a brain injury or what they should do when it occurs.

For instance, did you know that 1.7 million Americans will sustain some kind of brain injury this year? And that 475,000 of them are children?

Or that 5.3 million Americans live with long-term disabilities as the result of inadequately treated brain injuries? (more…)

After several months of negotiation, it looked as though the National Football League might finally come to a financial agreement with the many victims of concussion and other brain trauma, whose stories have been emerging in the past two years.

The attorney teams for prosecution and defense submitted their agreed upon settlement of $765 million to federal court this month. But after reviewing the detailed payout plan, which is meant to last for the next 65 years, U.S. District Judge Anita Brody denied approval. (more…)

New Year’s Day was a day of celebrating for the family of Formula One driver Michael Schumacher. It wasn’t ringing in 2014 that was the cause for celebration, nor was the feeling exactly that of happiness or excitement. It was relief, as doctors reported that Schumacher had reached stable condition after sustaining a brain trauma caused by a skiing accident.

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The human body has strange and wonderful ways of compensating for misfortune…sometimes, in the ways you’d least expect.

After sustaining a severe concussion from a backyard injury, Derek Amato thought his life was going to be one of loss, deprivation and consistent headaches. Then one day, while hanging out with a friend, he found himself inadvertently gravitating toward his friend’s piano…

…and playing it.

Derek was an average guy who had worked a series of average jobs. He had never played piano before, or even wanted to. But that night at his friend’s house, he spent six hours improvising songs, playing with as much skill and emotion as if he’d been doing it all his life. (more…)

On Tuesday, the PBS program Frontline aired what may be the most definitive piece yet on the long, troubling and legally questionable history of the National Football League’s relationship with brain injuries. The 2-hour piece is called “League of Denial,” and it is well worth a watch — even for those who are well-read on the subject.

The Unraveling of ‘Iron Mike’

The documentary opens with the tragic tale of Mike Webster, a Hall of Fame center who won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. As the centerpiece of the offensive line, “Iron Mike” received – and delivered – his share of blows to the head, using his helmet as a tool to strike defenders.

After 17 years in the NFL, Webster’s brain began to unravel, and his life followed suit. He lost his marriage and suffered from depression and dementia.Frontline aired difficult-to-watch interview clips in which Webster spoke lucidly on a subject before losing his thoughts completely, awkwardly grasping for words that were not there. He tried and tried to collect his thoughts, but without success. He eventually gave up. It was obviously a familiar exercise for Iron Mike.

Webster eventually began living out of his pickup truck, unable to sleep and taking stimulants like Ritalin to allow him some level of focus. But he never got his life back on track.

He died in 2002 at just 50, and his death would trigger “a chain of events that would threaten to forever change the way America sees the game of football,’” as described by Frontline. (more…)

It was only 17 months ago that Ed Buckley was struck by a speeding taxi as he walked home from a party, injuring his brain and sending him into a coma.

For six months, he lay comatose before consciousness returned. Unable to walk or speak, he faced a long road ahead. He would need to re-learn how to perform things that most of us take for granted. (more…)

The National Football League will pay $765 million to settle a lawsuit brought by more than 4,500 former players over the league’s once lackadaisical approach to concussions and head injuries. The settlement in the much-publicized suit was announced on Aug. 29.

Despite a massive payout that nearly equals the cost of building a new football stadium, the New York Times called the settlement a victory for the NFL. The Times reported that the NFL could have faced billions in liability. (more…)

We are pleased to share with you that Stephen M. Smith, the founder and director of the Brain Injury Law Center, has once again been named among the Best Lawyers in America for the 2014 edition of the prestigious publication. He was named in the categories of medical malpractice and personal injury litigation.

These listings are based on confidential peer reviews by attorneys across the nation. Now in its 20^th edition, Best Lawyers describes itself as “the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.”

This is not the first time the Brain Injury Law Center has received this distinction. Stephen Smith has been listed as a Best Lawyer since 1995. (more…)

Kevin Pearce was a rising star in the world of extreme snowboarding. He was winning medals and on his way to the Olympics – until his attempt at a daring stunt went wrong and left him in a coma.

That accident, his ensuing recovery and his previous ascent to the top of his sport are the subject of a film that is rapidly gaining the attention of critics and audiences. The Crash Reel debuted on HBO last month, and it is being followed up by a theatrical release.

“His story is so extreme,” filmmaker Lucy Walker told HBO, “it dramatizes how high the stakes are. And his passion for the sport is incredible given what he’s been through. There’s something very intense about that. He’s just a very charming and humble young man, even when his eyes were looking in different directions and he kept reintroducing himself because he couldn’t remember meeting me.” (more…)

The doctors thought Ryan Boyle would die after he was struck by a truck a decade ago at age 9. His best outcome, they said, was life in hospital bed, living with the help of machines.

But it didn’t work out that way for the Connecticut boy – not even close. Boyle, now 19, bucked some serious odds to recover from a traumatic brain injury with far more success than anyone had predicted. He is now an author, a college student and an aspiring motivational speaker.

He has quite the motivational story to tell. (more…)