Personal injury law attorneys have long been familiar with the dire results of a serious head injury. However, the release of the 2015 film “Concussion,” makes the topic even more relevant in Sacramento. Our personal injury attorneys have monitored the rising concern about the effect of concussion on athletes, and the film brings the issue to greater public awareness. The Sacramento personal injury lawyers at Sette Law are proud that the pathologist who inspired the popular film is a professor at UC Davis. This brings the topic even closer to home for our personal injury law firm and our community.
Now, with the film inspired by the work of Dr. Bennet Omalu, our Sacramento personal injury lawyers hope that both professional and youth sports leagues will take steps to make America’s most popular sport safer. Like fans everywhere, our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys support youth football and other sports. However, serious head injuries to youngsters is a great concern to parents in Sacramento. Our personal injury lawyers believe the popular film may inspire changes that benefits youth sports throughout Sacramento. Our personal injury law firm and our attorneys are gratified to see that attention to concussions suffered by football players is now receiving increased attention.
Our personal injury attorneys were interested in the long road it took for Dr. Omalu (and others) to convince the NFL and the public of the severity of concussions suffered in football. As Sacramento personal injury attorneys, our lawyers were well aware of the serious consequences of any brain injury, having represented TBI clients in Sacramento. However, personal injury law attorneys say Dr. Omalu’s work that started in 2002, finally shined a light on the dangers of repeated head trauma. Our personal injury attorneys say that incidents of mild concussion are common to many NFL players. It’s relevance in Sacramento, our personal injury lawyers say, is that changes inspired by the film can improve outcomes for young athletes in our community. That repeated blows to the head and mild concussions are very serious, our personal injury attorneys say, should no longer be debated.
The key to Dr. Omalu’s findings was repeated autopsies on the brains of deceased NFL players, our personal injury law attorneys explain. Over nearly a decade, our personal injury attorneys report, football officials ignored the doctor’s findings. Unfortunately, that it was the suicide note of an injured player that finally vindicated Dr. Omalu after years of denial by the NFL, personal injury lawyers report. Our Sacramento personal injury attorneys explain that the disorder named by the doctor, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), is now a widely accepted personal injury. Attorneys believe recognition of Dr. Omalu’s work, though long overdue, will inspire groundbreaking changes that benefit players throughout the nation and in Sacramento. Personal injury law attorneys will leverage his work as we help victims of CTE and other head injuries recover financially and emotionally.
The Numbers
The concerns of our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys regarding head trauma in sports is supported with data. One parent-driven organization reports that head injuries in youth sports more than doubled over a 10-year span. Our personal injury attorneys believe that the 3.8 million concussions documented indicates an urgent need for attention. Interestingly, 33 percent of sports injuries, our Sacramento personal injury lawyers report, happened during practice. The organization also highlights the fact that head injuries start young. Our personal injury law attorneys say up to five million of the concussions happened to middle school athletes. Further concerning is that concussions may not be recognized. Our personal injury attorneys say 90 percent of concussions diagnosed never cause a loss of consciousness. This fact alone, personal injury law attorneys believe, calls for much more education about head trauma in youth sports.
Neurological Problems
Our Sacramento personal injury attorneys say that research is exposing additional impacts that CTE may have on health. Although most of the studies have involved adults, our personal injury lawyers report, it’s important to know that CTE is the result of repeated exposure over time. Damage therefore, our personal injury attorneys warn, can start at a very young age. According to Live Science, research on scanned brains of football players retired from the game, revealed abnormalities traced to brain trauma, our Sacramento personal injury lawyers report. Further, our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys say studies also indicate a possible link to increased Alzheimer’s disease and Lou Gherig’s disease. In addition, our personal injury law attorneys say that depression may also be a result of repeated concussions.
Our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys say neuroscientists have shown that concussions damage white matter in the brain. This can prevent the flow of “information signals” in different regions of the brain, our personal injury lawyers explain. Clearly, our Sacramento personal injury attorneys recognize this arena of brain research is relatively new. However, it seems prudent for parents to pay attention if they have youngsters playing sports in Sacramento. Personal injury attorneys know that most damage to brain cannot be “reversed.” At best, say injury attorneys, drugs and therapies may moderate symptoms. But, personal injury lawyers agree that the brain while powerful, is also delicate.
While brain researchers seek to better understand the impacts of CTE, our personal injury lawyers know the experts are currently limited in diagnosing the condition. Dr. Omalu, our Sacramento personal injury attorneys explain, had to gather all his forensic evidence from deceased players. Currently, there is no other way to affirm the presence of CTE, say our personal injury lawyers. Unfortunately, this makes early detection of CTE extremely unlikely.
Consequently, our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys believe it’s up to parents to make good decisions about children who participate in youth sports. Fortunately, our personal injury lawyers are aware that youth leagues and coaches are making voluntary changes to field practice and games. In addition, our personal injury attorneys say designers of equipment have been creating safer helmets to buffer blows to the head. However, once there is official acceptance of the risk of CTE, our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys anticipate modifications to the rules of the game, as well as improved protective gear on the field. Meanwhile, at our personal injury law firm, attorneys recommend that parents play an active role in safeguarding the future of their young athletes.