An article appearing in the AP titled “Faces of Concussions: NHL’s head-on battle with an epidemic,” written by Stephen Whyno, reports on the concussions crisis in the National Hockey League (NHL). Last year, the NHL settled a lawsuite for $18.9 million with more than 300 retired players. While the NHL officials consistently deny that there is a conclusive link between repeated blows to the head and the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the article indicates that there are a growing number of former players and researchers who are alarmed by the number of concussions among NHL players and the threat of CTE. The article cites several players who were posthumously diagnosed with CTE and quotes several former players describing their symptoms that they say are due to concussions and repeated blows to the head while playing hockey.

Brain injuries are extremely complicated. If you have suffered from a traumatic brain injury, you need an attorney experienced in brain injury medicine to represent you. According to the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), a patient with mild traumatic brain injury is a person who has had a traumatically induced physiological disruption of the brain function, as manifested by at least one of the following:

1. any period of loss of consciousness;

2. any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the accident;

3. any alteration in mental state at the time of the accident (eg, feeling dazed, disoriented, or confused); and

4. focal neurological deficit(s) that may or may not be transient.

Brain injuries can be caused by:

1. the head being struck,

2. the head striking an object, and

3. the brain undergoing an acceleration/deceleration move.

These injuries occur in many settings including but not limited to: car accidents, trucking accidents, pedestrian accidents, bicycle accidents, slip and falls, or trip and falls.

Additionally, the Mason Firm represents a number of minors who suffered from brain injuries during sports as a result of a failure on the team, coaches, schools and organizations to properly follow concussion and brain injury protocol after an athlete has suffered a blow to the head.

Our attorneys are experienced brain injury attorneys. If you or someone you know has suffered a concussion or traumatic brain injury, contact the Mason Firm today at 619-819-7600 or by going to www.TheMasonFirm.com. Our attorney uses his former experience as a defense attorney to represents injury victims. Email him directly at info@masonfirm.com.