The Barnes Firm

$30 Million Project to Study Concussions

• May 20, 2015
• Sandy

LOS ANGELES – Football players at UCLA hit the practice field equipped with new technology. Nearly 30 players will wear helmets that can accurately tell school researchers where and how hard a player was hit.

The testing is already getting valuable results. Dr. John DiFiori, head physician at UCLA Health, recently told KABC news reporters that pagers connected to sensors in the helmets go off about once every practice. DiFiori said every time a pager sounds, it alerts the research team of a significant head blow.

He estimated there are 250 total hits each practice.

At The Barnes Firm, Los Angeles Brain Injury Lawyers are carefully monitoring this type of research because lawyers say this study’s findings could go far beyond the gridiron.

“This type of research, if successful, won’t just help athletes playing on a field in Los Angeles,” brain injury attorney John Sheehan said. “Traumatic brain injuries are very common in workplace accidents and car crashes across the country.”

Traumatic brain injuries, or TBI’s, are considered some of the most common injuries sustained in an accident. These kinds of injuries can result in thousands of dollars in medical costs and treatments and Los Angeles car accident lawyers say some victims never fully recover from a TBI.

“The long-term effects of repeated hits to the head are still unclear,” Sheehan said. “There are theories that brain injuries could be a precursor to mental disorders like dementia and that can be a major concern and factor for injured clients to consider when evaluating their legal options.”

Currently, TBI research hasn’t developed many firm conclusions relating to the long-term effects of concussions. However, if further studies like the study being conducted at UCLA can confirm a link between TBI’s and long-term side-effects, it may translate to more monetary damages for accident victims due to future treatment costs and suffering.

The $30 million project is funded, in part, by the Department of Defense, and it will collect data from student athletes at UCLA, Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina.

The Barnes Firm 1-(800) 800-0000