A prominent doctor theorizes that a brain injury may be responsible for O.J. Simpson’s violent outbursts over the past several decades.
In fact, pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu is so confident in his diagnosis that he would “bet his medical license” on its accuracy. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was first recognized among boxers in the 1920s as “punch drunk,” with symptoms like memory loss and unsteady balance. Mr. Simpson has said that, during his playing career in the 1970s, he was knocked out of a number of games, and in others, he “continued playing despite hard blows to my head.” In addition to the sheer number of blows, Dr. Omalu speculated that Mr. Simpson’s unique anatomy may have made him more vulnerable to injury.
Mr. Simpson, who was found civilly liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, is currently serving a life sentence for armed robbery. In the latter case, his attorneys unsuccessfully argued that Mr. Simpson was not in full control of his actions because of a prior brain injury.
Traumatic Brain Injury Causes
Older adolescents between 15 and 19, and older adults over 65, are the most frequently-represented age groups among the estimated 1.7 million Americans who suffer a traumatic brain injury each year. Many of these injures are not diagnosed right away; it is only after the victim begins to exhibit mood swings, personality changes, and other symptoms that TBIs are recognized.
There is no cure, because dead brain cells never regenerate. However, after extensive physical therapy, nearby cranial regions can be trained to assume the lost physical functions, so the victims may have some sort of normal lives.
Brain injury is still something of an emerging science, but some of the more common causes are:
- Motor Vehicle Crashes: Even if seatbelts are engaged and airbags deploy, the extreme jostling alone may cause a head injury.
- Slip and Fall: To a physically frail senior citizen or the still-developing brain of an adolescent, even a seemingly minor fall may cause serious injury.
- Loud Noises: Scientists are not sure why a sudden traumatic noise, like an explosive blast, or long-term exposure to loud noise, like a jackhammer, cause head injuries.
Because TBIs nearly always have lifelong consequences, the damages awarded in these cases are often significant.
Serious head injuries occur every day. For a free consultation with attorneys who are committed to maximum compensation for victims, contact our office. You have a limited amount of time to act.
