Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog
The NFL announced late last month that it has reached a tentative $765 million settlement regarding a class action lawsuit stemming from concussion-related brain injuries. The case survived a motion to dismiss earlier this spring.
In sum, more than 4,500 former athletes joined as plaintiffs in the suit, some suffering from dementia, depression or Alzheimer’s which they attribute to hits to the head, accusing the league of concealing the true dangers of concussions, rushing injured players back onto the field, and all the while profiting from the glorification of the types of intense hits that caused extensive brain damage and related complications.
The lead plaintiffs’ lawyer said in a statement that if the terms of the settlement are finalized, individual awards will be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimer’s disease; $4 million for those diagnosed after death with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and $3 million for players with dementia. Because the lawsuit was a class action, any and all of the 18,000 former NFL players would be eligible, as members of the “class.” Additionally, as a class action, a judge must first approve the settlement, in order to ensure that it is fair for all of the class members, particularly those who are not named, or main plaintiffs to the litigation. Part of the funds will be used to pay for future medical exams, and underwrite related research.
Brain injuries are not isolated to football or other sports related injuries. In fact, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries are common in accidents of all kinds, most notably car and motorcycle collisions. In car accidents and similar incidents, victims of traumatic brain injuries may be eligible to bring a lawsuit against another motorist or another individual who was responsible for causing their injury.
If you or a loved one, perhaps a child, was involved in an accident which resulted in a brain injury or a related trauma, you may be eligible to bring a personal injury lawsuit against the person who caused the injury. The most common type of lawsuit brought in these types of cases is brought under a negligence cause of action. This essentially means that the person who caused the accident, whether by driving or engaging in other behavior that caused the harm, did so in a way that was not in accordance with how a reasonably prudent (safe) person would have acted. In traffic collisions, this behavior can include things such as speeding, or failing to stop at a red light. Additional examples of negligent behavior include things such as failure to maintain property in a safe manner or otherwise engaging in behavior without regard for other peoples’ safety.
If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury due to someone else’s negligence, contact the experienced Washington D.C. area personal injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers immediately. Our dedicated attorneys have extensive experience in representing families who have suffered as a result of car accidents, medical malpractice, birth injuries, premises liability and other traumatic events. If you believe that your loved one died because of the wrongful or negligent actions of another, please contact the personal injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen by calling 1-800-654-1949 or by visiting our website, in order to schedule your initial free consultation.
More Blog Posts:
Cloudy Pool Wrongful Death Lawsuit, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, published September 12, 2013
Maryland Public Schools to Conduct Baseline Assessments Aimed at Concussion Identification, Washington DC Injury Lawyer Blog, published August 28, 2013