Indiana Brain Injury Attorneys Discuss Concussions and Student Athletes

John P. Young recommends that if you have any questions about brain injury, your first inquiries should be made to your treating doctors.  After that, please seek information from the Brain Injury Association of Indiana.  You may access their website at http://www.biausa.org/Indiana/. BIAI is the portal for Brain Injury information and services in Indiana.  John P. Young is currently an Emeritus Board of Directors member, after having served 2 years as the Chair of the Board of Directors and on the Board of Directors for 6 years.

Lets talk for a moment about concussion.  A Concussion is a medical condition caused by a blow to the head.  The symptoms of concussion vary widely but generally the symptoms include  either unconsciousness or a period of altered awareness, followed by dizziness and headaches. There may be long term consequences caused by a concussion and multiple concussions can cause serious complications.  These complications include depression, poor memory, and the inability to focus on work tasks both in the workplace and in the class room. If you remember nothing else about concussion remember that it is, by definition, an injury to the brain. Medical science, and public awareness campaigns by such organizations such as the Brain Injury Association of Indiana, have been successful in education the general public about the dangers of concussion and how contact sports are contributing to cause concussions.

The good news is that medical science has come a long way in helping people with concussion with better treatments and recovery. Unfortunately we still have a long way to go.  Persons with brain injury may, especially students, return to the activity which caused the concussion too early .  This places them at high risk for another concussion which can lead to very serious complications, even wrongful death.  For student athletes, the legislature is getting involved. Senate Bill 93 deals with the issue of brain injury and concussion in three ways.  S.B. 93 mandates education of coaches, teachers and trainers, as well as students about the dangers of concussion. This educational effort is designed to help identify student athletes suffering concussion.  Finally it mandates that students who have been identified with concussion not return to competition until the student is medically cleared for participation.  This bill has the support of the Indiana medical community.  We ask that you support it as well.