Chicago Injury Blog

Is there a link between football players’ brain injuries and mental decline among players later in life? Evidence is mounting. Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, in Chicago, is pleased to see that the U. S. House of Representatives is holdings hearings on this issue at which former player Tiki Barber and family members of injured players, have testified.

At the hearings, Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner, would not way whether he thought there was a link between football and cognitive decline among NFL players. However, he did say that the issue of brain injuries in football warranted federal scrutiny because “the NFL is a monopoly whose existence was legislatively sanctioned.” U.S. Representative Michael Quigley, of Illinois, said that although Congress is focusing mostly on NFL policies, that “the norms of the NFL, for better or worse, become the norms of high school football players.”

The Chicago Tribune’s current front page expose, “Compromised Care,” reveals that patients in nursing homes throughout Illinois are being dosed with powerful psychotropic drugs, often needlessly, and leading to tremors and a higher risk of falls and even death. Romanucci & Blandin are long-time advocates for nursing home safety, and we will continue our efforts to advocate for safer nursing home practices.

Sixty Minutes last night broadcast a wonderful show highlighting the aspects of traumatic brain injury in football players. As you know, Romanucci & Blandin, have been advocates in preventable causes of brain injury -- especially in our youth players. We continue to fight the fight with the Chicago City Council in banning metal baseball bats for youth players. This story on football only furthers our cause and educates all of us as to the dangers associated with contact play and being aware of the symptoms of concussion and any injury. The video in its entirety is right here:
Watch CBS News Videos Online

This video is incredible. It demonstartes how a safely designed parking lot and a conscientious owner of the mall saved the life of a young girl. This out of control vehicle was actually stopped by parking bollards and wound up being impaled on top of them. The young girl and the building were protected from any harm whatsoever by the bollards:

CHICAGO, October 8, 2009 – Stephan Blandin, a partner in the Chicago personal injury law firm of Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, participated in a news conference this morning at Operation PUSH headquarters at the invitation of Rev. Jesse Jackson, to discuss ways that lawyers can mentor students in the wake of the fatal beating of a teenager at Fenger High School by the boy’s peers.

Yesterday, President Obama sent Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to Chicago to meet with Mayor Daley, local leaders, and Fenger students.

During a press conference at City Hall, officials announced a $500,000 grant to help make Fenger and the schools that feed into it safer. Daley, Holder and Duncan had breakfast at the Four Seasons Hotel off Michigan Avenue with religious and community leaders to discuss youth violence.

Romanucci & Blandin has a program in place to support and encourage more youths to consider a career in law. Visit www.lawfirmbound.com.

The NFL Players Association has announced the formation of a Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Committee to address the issue of head trauma and brain injuries among professional football players.

Antonio Romanucci praised the effort, indicating that it will address two fundamental, timely and critical issues facing professional football players: first, the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of concussions and TBI in active players; and second, the long-term cumulative effects of isolated or repetitive TBI in NFL players as patients in order to discover how these effects can be reduced and eliminated.