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AA Flight 311: the Vulnerability of the Brain in an Air Crash

Posted on January 3rd, 2010 · Posted in Brain Injury

On previous blogs, I have talked about how the survivor of an on the ground air crash is exposed to significant concussional forces. The reason is that the extreme speed of a jet as it lands can create siginificant acceleration/deceleration forces. Unlike a modern car, it does not have a..
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Pilot Org Criticizes Jamaica Airport Leading up to American Flight 31

Posted on December 29th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

From a Press Release from Air Jamaica Pilots Association: Organization says that lack of and/or unserviceable airport equipment combined with inclement weather could have seriously compromised the crew of American Airlines Flight 331, which crash landed in Jamaica last Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 MIAMI, FL, December 29, 2009 — A..
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Concussion Diagnosis Still Critical for American Flight 311 Survivors

Posted on December 28th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

It has been four days now and the news cycle has spun away from the American Flight 311 crash just short of the Caribbean Sea in Jamaica. Even Google can’t seem to find anything current. One might thus assume that no one was seriously hurt and it was a Christmas..
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Air Crashes and Brain Injuries

Posted on December 26th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

People have two completely different images of air crashes. The most common is the complete catastrophe, fiery wreck, everyone dies. The other is Captain Sully’s, the miracle landing, heroic acts and everyone lives. There are air crashes in between. Years ago, we worked with the Nolan Law Group on one..
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Followup to Injuries in Jamaica Air Crash

Posted on December 25th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

I was once a news reporter and I understand the process of gathering news, but it is amusing in retrospect what the first reports of a major event look like. Take for example this story in the New York Times about the American Airlines Flight 311 crash in Jamaica on..
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Christmas Miracle In Jamaica?

Posted on December 24th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

Ten Feet. That is all that stood between a broken up airplane and the Caribbean Sea. 154 people on board that American Airlines Boeing 737 came that close to one more risk of life as the plane stopped just short of the ultimate mess. Yet looking at the photos of..
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A Fall of Concussions

Posted on December 18th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

While I have been away from writing this blog, there has been more concussion news than I can remember. And as always, the real story usually gets lost in the headlines. Tiger Woods is a perfect example. From all bystander and news accounts, he was undoubtedly knocked out when his..
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Conan O’Brien Concussion – Real World Meets Sports Criteria

Posted on October 5th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

There is more teaching material in the Conan O’Brien concussion. Where to start? How about with his own words: “In that moment I saw stars but I tried to keep going. I honestly don’t remember this part, but I tried to stand up and I couldn’t stand up, and I..
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Conan O’Brien Concussion – Amnesia without Confusion

Posted on September 30th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

As I have been discussing for much of the last month on this blog, amnesia and confusion are not the same thing. An example more vivid than even a football quarterback was the concussion Conan O’Brien suffered on camera on his show last week. See for one of the multitude..
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Brain injury is a Process, Not an Event

Posted on September 15th, 2009 · Posted in Brain Injury

“Brain injury is a process, not an event.” That one phrase has guided my advocacy with respect to concussion as much as any one thing. The author? Thomas Gennarelli, M.D. I am not sure when the first time he said it, but one such place he says it is the..
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