Saturday, May 17, marked the 12^th annual Walk for a Healthy Community. Completely underwritten by Highmark, 69 local organizations participated in the fundraising event that yields 100 percent benefit for the teams.

Thousands gathered to walk on behalf of the organizations, including Goodwill, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Make-A-Wish, Sara Heinz House and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Teams from our firm represented the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania (BIAPA), a cause close to our hearts.

Attorney Jason Luckasevic, NFL concussion litigation pioneer, serves as a board member for the BIAPA. Alone he was one of the top fundraisers, collecting more than $1,000, helping the BIAPA reach their goal for a total of almost $20,000.

Our firm administrator, Donna Devlin, assembled a team in honor of her niece, Brit, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, and surpassed their goal of $1,000.

To date, the BIAPA is one of only two teams to reach their goal and pass $19,000, contributing to the almost $400,000 raised from all the participating organizations.

We’re proud to support the BIAPA and all their efforts to educate the public about the dangers associated with brain injuries, treatment and understanding. Traumatic brain injuries do not discriminate- they can hurt anyone at anytime and in any location.

Click here to view a photo gallery of the event.

For more information about the BIAPA, please visit their site.

Footnotes:

BIAPA. (2014). Walk for a Healthy Community. [Link]

Brit’s Brigade. (2014). Walk for a Healthy Community. [Link]

Pittsburgh Event. (2014). Walk for a Healthy Community. [Link]

WPXI. (2014). Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community held on North Shore. [Link]

For many, summer is a celebration of freedom and the return of warm weather. Children play outside, enjoying the sun and no school for three months. Unfortunately, this frolicking can turn deadly with one slip.

Approximately 475,000 children experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year. More than 30,000 of those result in permanent disability. While TBIs affect everyone, children, especially those age five and younger, are at a higher risk.

Most accidents occur during the summer months in the afternoon and early evening. As kids become more active, the chances of TBIs increase as well. Every day games, including basketball, soccer and tag, leave them vulnerable.

The violent jarring of the head causes concussions, a mild traumatic brain injury. Many young athletes experience these without understanding the risks and potential damage. In the past decade, concussions became more and more common every year.

With the NFL receiving attention for its settlement with retired players now suffering the long-term of effects of repeated head injuries, organizations are trying to educate players when they’re young to teach them safer practices as the game advances.

Parents- it’s important to know the symptoms and identify them in your children to provide the care they need as soon as possible. Not all blows to the head are cause for alarm, but they should be evaluated to make sure your child makes a swift and complete recovery.

References

Baylor. (2014). Summer increases risk of traumatic brain injury. [Link]

Doyle, K. (2014). For young athletes, more concussions reported. Reuters. [Link]

Hammond, J. (2014). Youth football clinics try a new angle to prevent concussions. NPR. [Link]

Swierzewski, S. (2011). Risk factors for TBI. Health Communities. [Link]

This year, 2.4 million people will suffer a brain injury. More than 50,000 of those cases will result in death. The scariest part? Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) don’t discriminate- everyone is constantly susceptible.

March was Brain Injury Awareness Month, established by the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA). The BIAA, largest and oldest organization dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of brain injuries and advancing treatment, developed the month to draw attention to the potentially deadly effects of TBIs.

Approximately 75 percent of TBIs are the result of a concussion or other mild traumatic brain injuries.

Every day, athletes, both in contact and non contact sports, risk the potentially life changing consequences of a blow to the head during game or practice. While efforts are made to ensure the safety of players, sometimes it’s not enough.

Will McKamey was a freshman football player for the U.S. Naval Academy. After sustaining a head injury during a high school football game, McKamey stayed away from contact sports for nine months before several neurosurgeons, MRIs and CAT scans cleared the talented athlete to play.

During a spring practice, McKamey collapsed and was airlifted to a hospital in Baltimore. After undergoing cranial surgery to reduce brain swelling and bleeding, he remained in a coma for several days before unfortunately passing.

Even though he was cleared by four neurosurgeons and multiple tests, something still went wrong. The brain is a complex organ that is slow to heal and challenging to understand. Each human is a unique being, and with that, so is each brain. No two cases are handled the exact same way and how one person recovers can’t be compared to another in a similar situation.

Although research about the dangerous effects of head injuries existed long before, the National Football League (NFL) waited until 1994 to create a committee to investigate the effects of head trauma. In 2006, they released an article stating the mild TBIs of players aren’t serious injuries, contrary to decades of research previously conducted.

A 2005 study by the Center for the Study of Retired Athletes determined NFL players with at least three concussions were five times more likely to experience mild cognitive impairment and three times more likely to have significant memory loss than players with less. In 2007, the NFL finally adopted the concussion guidelines across the league.

As the NFL ignored brain injuries, Jason Luckasevic at Goldberg, Persky & White became the first attorney to file lawsuits on behalf of retired NFL players. His first two featured more than 120 former players dealing with the devastating effects of a brain injury.

Additionally, he is the first lawyer to bring an individual personal injury lawsuit on behalf of a former NCAA college football player.

The consequences of head trauma are unpredictable and life changing. If you or someone you love played professional or collegiate football and sustained multiple head injuries that are now revealing their lasting effects, contact us. We may be able to help.

Footnotes

Associated Press. (2014). Will McKamey dies after collapsing. ESPN. [Link]

Associated Press. (2014). Navy RB who collapsed has brain injury; family says he faces ‘long road’ ahead. FOX Sports. [Link]

Brain Injury Association of America. (2014). About Us; March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. BIAA. [Link]

Maese, R. (2014). Navy football player Will McKamey in critical condition with head injury. The Washington Post. [Link]