Game changer: player’s tragic death highlights concussion problem

As you may have heard by now, on Sunday, November 30,  22-year-old Ohio State University football player Kosta Karageorge was found dead in a dumpster in Columbus, OH, as the result of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Preceding his death, he sent his mother some troubling text messages, apologizing, and saying that his concussions had “messed up” his head.

Throughout his athletic career in football and wrestling, Karageorge suffered multiple concussions, the most recent of which occurred just weeks before his death. As we have observed earlier this year, it turns out that concussions are not uncommon for athletes at the professional, college, and high school levels. In fact, it has been described as an “epidemic.” It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of student athletes suffer from concussions each year, and many more likely go unreported and untreated. […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer stresses importance of safety when hunting

We’re in the midst of hunting season across the country, and we can’t stress enough the importance of safety. As millions of hunters are heading into the woods this month, they must keep safety top of mind.

Reports of hunting accidents have already begun, and in the past few weeks alone, there have been many. In two separate hunting accidents in Iowa this past weekend, a 14-year old accidentally shot himself in the leg while setting traps and another hunter fell around 25 feet from a tree stand, sustaining serious injuries. In Oregon, a trooper with the Oregon State Police accidentally shot and killed his 20-year-old daughter while hunting. In Wisconsin, a bow hunter was accidentally shot in the head with a gun by another hunter. In Montana, a 56-year old man was accidentally shot and critically injured by a 13-year-old who was hunting with him, and in Kansas, […]

More than 200 former NFL players and families opt out of concussion settlement

Former NFL players concerned that concussion settlement won’t be enough

ESPN reports that court documents filed on Monday show more than 200 former football players or their families have opted out of the proposed settlement for the class action suit of NFL concussion claims. The concussion lawsuit was initially filed by more than 5,000 ex-players against the league.

The claims administrator sent settlement notices to 25,040 players and 8,924 relatives of deceased players, according to court records. According to the claims administrator, 196 former players, 22 relatives of NFL retirees, and two others opted out of the settlement by last month’s deadline. The Associated Press reported that 14 other players tried to opt out, but didn’t file the paperwork quickly enough. According to CBS Sports, a number of former players are concerned that the settlement numbers won’t meet their individual needs. […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer warns of the dangers of hayride and other Halloween attractions

Earlier this month, a Jeep pulling a wagon full of passengers on a Halloween-themed haunted hayride on a farm in Maine crashed, causing the hayride to overturn, killing one teen and seriously injuring several others. According to ABC News, the Jeep missed a turn and headed into the woods, causing the hayride to crash, overturn and throw passengers.

Many accidents occur throughout the season at different types of Halloween-themed attractions, and some of these accidents are deadly. In another accident this month, a teenager playing a zombie at a corn maze attraction in Idaho was killed after falling under the event’s Zombie Slayer Paintball Bus. The teen died from injuries sustained after being run over by the rear passenger wheel of the bus. According to the Huffington Post, nobody inside of the bus, which was rocking as it moved forward on uneven terrain, […]

Not much has changed after concussion lawsuits

We saw another example this weekend of how football coaches allow players to stay in the game with head injuries. Michigan coach Brady Hoke failed to remove sophomore quarterback Shane Morris after he received a crushing blow from a defensive end. Morris appeared dazed, stumbling after the hit. The coaches let him stay in the game for the next play and then removed him, only to return him to the game later for another play.

As this played out on national TV, it raised questions to the necessity of a concussion protocol at the college level, that would bar teams from allowing players with head injuries, and concussion-like symptoms, to continue playing without further evaluation.

CBS Sports reported that in his postgame news conference Coach Hoke said, “I don’t know if he had a concussion or not, I don’t know that. Shane’s a pretty competitive, […]