Feb 21, 2011 | 2 min read

Liam Neeson Speaks Out About Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

While reading the recent interview by Liam Neeson about his wife’s tragic death in a ski accident, I couldn’t help wondering if she had been wearing a helmet would she still be alive today? His young wife was pulled off of life support after suffering serious head trauma at a Canadian ski resort. The tragic story highlights that brain injury can happen to anyone, at any place at any time.

I was recently on a ski trip with my family at Snowshoe Mountain, West Virginia (WV) and I can’t imagine losing them in such a way. My thoughts go out to Neeson and all other families who have lost loved ones from head injuries. Children are especially vulnerable to brain injuries as their brains are still maturing. A new study conducted by the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina has found that 20 percent of all child head injuries take place during recreational activities. These activities include organized sports, playing outdoors, swimming, and riding bicycles.

Parents can combat this risk by having children wear a helmet. Ski helmets could prevent or reduce the effects of 50 percent of head injuries suffered by children under the age of 15 while skiing or snowboarding, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Just like in the case of Natasha Richardson, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is not easy to spot right away. It’s not like a broken leg or shattered pelvis where the pain is immediate and noticeable. The effects of a TBI are rather subtle and may take days or even weeks to recognize. This is because it’s exclusively an internal disturbance and reveals itself in common pains such as a headache, backache, or feeling fatigued, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

As an injury lawyer who works for a firm that represents people who’ve suffered a TBI, I recommend a simple policy: if you’ve suffered an injury where you were knocked in the head, visit your doctor.