A brain injury can easily happen to anyone for any number of reasons. Adventurers, athletes, accident victims, babies during birth, kids at play, and military veterans, are all at risk. But treating head trauma is very difficult, and the best bet is to prevent it.
Now Defense Department scientists are focusing on pinpointing how brain cells change after experiencing explosions to learn how to improve protective equipment. Let’s consider their experiments and legal recovery for brain injury.
The Experiments
Military researchers say that mild traumatic brain injuries are on the rise among veterans. There is so far no relief for these injuries, no treatment. So the scientists are trying to prevent them altogether by making better protective equipment. To do this, they must first understand what happens to a brain that experiences trauma, even mildly, over time.
To figure out how the brain responds to trauma physically, the Defense Department scientists recreate the effects of explosions on the brain and measure how cell structure changes accordingly. The hope is to then sort out how to prevent these changes by making equipment that appropriately protects vulnerable areas.
“For mild traumatic brain injury there is currently no treatment available, so we need to assess the mechanism of injury to find out how we can mitigate it,” said Thuvan Piehler, a research chemist with the Army Research Laboratory’s Explosive Technology Branch. Her team measures brain damage thresholds for the development of protective equipment.
The civilian public often benefits from this type of military experiment. The Internet, for example, was a defense project before it was our window on the world. So it stands to reason that we’ll see the fruits of these experiments in civilian equipment soon enough.
Brain Injury Lawsuits
The most famous brain injury lawsuit is no doubt that of National Football League players who suffered from concussions and sued the league. But there are many ways to suffer from a brain injury and many such cases.
Anyone who suffers head trauma in an accident, at the hands of a doctor, or otherwise due to someone’s negligence, could sue to recover damages. Suing is not just about allocating blame. It allows people who have incurred medical expenses and lost wages, and experienced pain and suffering to get much-needed compensation for current and future costs.
Talk to a Lawyer
If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, talk to a lawyer. Tell your story. Many personal injury attorneys consult for free or a minimal fee and will be happy to hear to assess your case.
Related Resources:
- Have an injury claim? Get your claim reviewed for free. (Consumer Injury)
- Brain Injury Symptoms and Diagnosis (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
- Types of Brain Injury (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
- Brain Injury Rehabilitation Resources (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
