Chicago Injury Blog

Kudos to the Chicago Sun-Times for launching a front-page series, written by Rick Telander, on a newly-identified brain disorder called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, that affects football players who suffer multiple concussions. CTE is produced only by blows to the brain, and at least for now, it can only be discovered from a dead person’s brain.

In a recent issue of Scientific American Mind, Dr. Douglas Smith, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote that the injury doesn’t just suddenly appear, but that it builds up over time, going from memory loss and personality changes to a full-blown dementia. It is different from other brain diseases such as ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. Researcher Ann McKee, who has dissected more than 2,000 brains, says that many CTE cases are misdiagnosed.

Millions of Americans, mostly men, play football at some level, and a lot of them have suffered injuries. But the cumulative effect of head blows, even slight ones, can and do damage the players as they age.

One solution to reduce the number of concussions, some experts say, is to stop hitting in practice. The other, of course, is to give up football.

As most of our blog visitors know, we are outspoken critics of the use of metal baseball bats by youth leagues because of the catastrophic head injuries and other injuries they can and do cause. Some of our visitors tell us they not only respect our point of view but have climbed on the “ban” bandwagon and now support our campaign.

That means that a few metal baseball bats must be sitting around collecting dust. So before you toss that metal bat in the trash (and contaminate our environment), consider recycling. Metal bats are recyclable! In fact, the aluminum in metal bats can be recycled completely. Read more: How to Dispose of an Aluminum Bat | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5715143_dispose-aluminum-bat.html#ixzz0rghb27Rq

CHICAGO – Romanucci & Blandin notes a new study reporting that, in the year following a traumatic brain injury, about half of the survivors experience clinical depression, a rate almost eight times higher than found in the general population.

Those who had both a head trauma and depression reported more pain, mobility problems and greater difficulty in carrying out their usual responsibilities. The research was conducted by the University of Washington. Some say that TBI, combined with severe depression, can have severe consequences from the recovery of TBI.

Statement by Antonio Romanucci on June 8, 2010.

I am a staunch supporter of a small but growing group of people who want to ban metal baseball bats in youth sports. I have been on the forefront of this issue for three years, since a friend of mine called my attention to the problem. Christina Russo’s son, who was 14 at the time, was seriously injured when a line-drive off a metal bat struck him directly in the face. He has since needed two plastic surgeries to repair the damage, but he and his family are doing fine, considering all the physical and emotional trauma they have faced.

I told Christina I would do what I could to help and approached State Rep. Bob Molaro, who introduced a bill in the state legislature that would have banned the use of these bats by youth leagues. Unfortunately, the bill never got out of committee. Last year, Alderman Bob Fioretti was extremely supportive of our efforts to have the Chicago City Council ban metal bats in youth leagues, but the metal bat “cartel” brought in their big guns, and sadly, we struck out.

Currently, only New York City and the state of North Dakota have succeeded in passing legislation to ban metal bats in youth leagues. The latest state to step up to the plate is California. In May, a bill was introduced in the state legislature to ban metal bats as a result of a Marin County teenager who suffered a serious head injury when he was hit in the head by a ball hit off a metal bat. The boy’s team actually switched to wood bats to honor the injured player.

Continue reading "Banning Metal Baseball Bats May Help Prevent Catastrophic Head Injuries in Youth Sports" »

Chicago – A wrongful death lawsuit claims that the victim was killed as a result of negligence (or other type of unjust action) on the part of the person or entity being sued, and that the victim’s survivors are entitled to monetary damages as a result of the improper conduct. The wrongful act may be a negligent or careless act such as careless driving, a reckless act or an intentional act such as a deliberate murder.

Almost every state has enacted a statute permitting a lawsuit to be brought by the relatives of a person who died as a result of a wrongful act. Attorneys at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, can help you determine if you have a case.