Brain Injury Prevention 101: Wear A Helmet

Virginia (VA) Traumatic Brain Injury Lawyers
Offices in VA Beach, Hampton & Elizabeth, NC  

Serious head injuries and brain injuries can affect every facet of your life – for the rest of your life. A traumatic brain injury can cause memory problems, mobility problems, personality changes, cognition difficulties, depression, sensory issues, and chronic pain. Treating a brain injury and caring for a brain injury victim can also take years of therapy and millions of dollars throughout your life. So – what is the very best way to prevent a traffic accident brain injury in Virginia? It’s easy: wear a helmet.

Whether you are riding a bike, riding a motorcycle, or riding an ATV, a helmet is an easy, inexpensive, and surefire way to minimize brain injuries when exploring the roads (and off-road paths) of Virginia and West Virginia. In fact a recent study showed that wearing a helmet reduces bicycle accident brain injuries by 88 percent – and that if every cyclist in the country wore a helmet, hundreds of lives would be saved every year.

While a helmet doesn’t prevent all brain injuries or all motorcycle and bicycle injury deaths, a helmet can greatly reduce your risk of traumatic brain injury when riding a bike, motorcycle, or four-wheeler.

Here are a few more telling helmet safety statistics:

• The NHTSA estimates that motorcycle riders who consistently wear helmets reduce their chances of a brain injury by 29 percent.
• About 750 motorcycle riders a year would not die if every rider wore a safety helmet while on the road.
• Every year, helmets save the lives of about 1,700 motorcycle riders.
• Two out of three bicycle fatalities in the United State are due to traumatic head injuries.
• Cyclists not wearing a helmet are 14 times more likely to die in a bicycle crash than cyclists who do take the time to wear a helmet.
• Bicycle rider traumatic brain injuries cost the health care system an estimated $81 million a year in direct costs and $2.3 billion in indirect costs.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a VA injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling cases brought by victims of traumatic brain injury and closed head injuries. In fact, in 2000, our firm helped a plaintiff receive what was then the largest verdict ever in a Virginia brain injury case. We also have a blog in which we discuss only topics related to brain injuries and head wounds. 

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been named to the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and listed among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008.Shapiro and Lewis have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2008. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive this professional honor. In addition, our firm was the first in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA injury law firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Suffolk and Newport News if you or a family member has been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness. While not every case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential consultations. Call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can get back to you.

Virginia Beach, VA Personal Injury Attorneys
Virginia (VA) Personal Injury Lawyers
Specializing in Virginia Wrongful Death & Injury Law