There has been much media attention over the number of athletes who have suffered permanent damage caused by traumatic brain injuries (TBI), such as multiple concussions, particularly for athletes who participate in football and hockey. The long-term and permanent damage that is reportedly caused by TBIs includes a decline in cognitive abilities, early onset Alzheimer’s, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain tissue.

Originally, the media attention began because of the number of professional athletes who suffered devastating effects from TBIs. However, over the past several years, a focus has been placed on the number of incidents of TBIs suffered by younger victims, especially teenagers, who are involved school or recreational sports.

According to national statistics, there are 1.7 million documented victims who suffer from some type of traumatic brain injury every year in this country. Various studies state the estimate is too low and that the actual number of victims every year is just under 4 million. The number of adolescents and children who receive TBI’s in sports-related accidents is approximately 173,285. Contrary to what many people may think, the majority of those injuries may not occur in actual games against opponents, but instead during practice with a victim’s own teammates.

A new study was conducted by Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention Inc., utilizing data supplied by the National Athletic Treatment, Injury and Outcomes Network, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program, and the Youth Football Surveillance System. The researchers discovered that of the 20,000 who were injured playing football during the 2012-2013 season, more than half—57 percent—received those injuries during a practice session.

There were 1,198 injured players who were diagnosed with concussions during the season, accounting for almost 10 percent of the total injuries received. Twenty-two percent were playing college football, 66 percent were involved in high school football, and 12 percent were playing youth football.

Researchers point out that this study should serve as a reminder to coaches and others involved in overseeing sports programs of the importance of implementing safety guidelines, even for practices. If your child has been injured in a sports-related accident, contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the negligent party.

Recent reports have been published regarding the dangerous issue and recall notices associated with airbags which were manufactured by Takata Corporation of Japan. According to multiple complaints filed, the chemical inside the airbag, which makes it inflate, explodes with such force that it causes a metal inflator to shatter into pieces. The metal shrapnel is spewed into the passenger’s side of the vehicle. So far, these defective airbags, installed in numerous make and model vehicles, have killed at least six people and injured hundreds of others.

However, this week the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have announced that Takata is recalling 33.8 million airbags and is finally admitting that the airbags they manufactured are defective. The agreement between the federal regulators and the company has taken over one year to reach.

Almost a dozen automakers have previously issued recalls of approximately 17 million airbags nationwide, including Toyota and Honda. Now that Takata has doubled the number of airbags which are being recalled, this recall will be the largest recall in U.S. history.

There have been previous media reports that both Takata and Honda were aware of the dangers of the airbags as early as 2004. Instead of notifying federal officials of the problem, Takata ordered its engineers to destroy all documents and other physical evidence which revealed the defective.

In 2007 and 2008, Honda settled cases with several other victims of defective airbags, yet did not act on the information they had. In 2009, there was one report of a woman who “bled to death in front of her three children” when metal shrapnel from a defective airbag exploded into the woman’s neck and chest.

There are multiple models of vehicles which are affected by the Takata recall. Car manufactures include Acura, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan Pontiac, Saab, Subaru and Toyota.

If you have been injured by a defective product, please contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the manufacturer of the product. Call Richard H. Raphael, Attorney at Law, today at 203-226-6168 to schedule a free case evaluation.

The “July effect” is a well-known term among medical professionals that most non-medical people have never heard. The July effect, also called the July phenomenon, gets its name because it is in the month of July when just-graduated medical students enter their internships in teaching hospitals across the country. It is this influx of new, inexperienced “physicians” which causes a real and documented increase in the danger to patients, particularly high-risk patients.

A study conducted by researchers from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University Hospitals, University of Southern California, and the RAND Corporation concluded that the July effect does pose a serious threat to patients with medical conditions where even the slightest delay in treatment can mean a matter of life or death.

The researchers used data collected from the U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample. They analyzed cases from more than 1,400 hospitals across the country where patients arrived at the hospital suffering from heart attacks. Cases were divided into low-risk and high-risk groups, and came from both teaching and non-teaching hospitals.

The study found that in general, patients who were treated at teaching hospitals actually had a lower risk of mortality than patients who were treated at non-teaching hospitals—except during the month of July. In July, the risk of dying from a heart attack jumped from 20 percent to 25 percent at teaching hospitals. In teaching hospitals, the month of May had the lowest rate of mortality as interns conclude their training during this month and are much more experienced.

Moreover, the lead researcher of the study pointed out that, according to their findings, “For every 100 people hospitalized with a severe heart attack, five more people will die in July than in May.” Hence, an intern who struggled with inserting a stent to open up a patient’s clogged artery in July, and caused what could have been a fatal delay, is quite adept and experienced with that same procedure 10 months later.

If you or a love one has been injured or became ill due to incorrect or delayed medical treatment, please contact an experienced Westport medical malpractice attorney to discuss what legal recourse you may have against the physician and/or medical facility that caused your injury. Call Richard H. Raphael, Attorney at Law, at 203-226-6168 today to schedule your free consultation.