The NFL has been in the news quite a bit recently over a number of lawsuits brought by retired players claiming the NFL didn’t do enough to protect them from head injuries while playing. Some of the cases even extend to the helmet manufacturers, with one of the issues being whether players were given the safest, most effective helmets available. Football helmets have definitely come a long way since the days of strapping on what today would be considered a flimsy leather or plastic cap.

And moving outside just the context of football, we see the same sort of advances in helmet design and effectiveness for other activities as well. Take motorcycling. It wasn’t all that long ago that motorcycle helmets were made of padded leather and weren’t actually all that effective at protecting bikers from serious head injury. Today’s motorcycle helmets, by comparison, are technologically impressive—an extremely effective. NHTSA has estimated that helmets are 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to riders and 41% effective for passengers. In 2008 alone, helmet use saved the lives of 1,829 motorcyclists.

So what is it about motorcycle helmets that make them so effective? What sort of advances are we talking about?

First, according to the Snell Foundation, helmets work like a brake or a shock absorber. Brain injuries happen because in an accident the brain absorbs a large amount of energy. If the helmet can reduce that amount of energy, then a brain injury is less likely. There are two ways a helmet does this: (1) with a hard, outer shell that “disperses” the energy. In other words, it takes all the energy of the impact and spreads it over a larger surface area so your brain doesn’t have to absorb it all; and (2) with foam lining that will crush and break during a crash, absorbing energy so your brain doesn’t have to.

The big advances in helmet technology have meant that both of those parts—the hard lining and the foam inserts—are better at doing their jobs. Motorcycle helmets today aren’t leather or cheap plastic. They are made of complex materials like polycarbonate, a fiber-reinforced material that is stronger than steel by weight, Kevlar or fiberglass. Significant research and testing has gone into striking the right balance between the strength of this shell and its ability to compress when necessary.

Meanwhile, the inside impact-absorbing liner, is generally made of polystyrene or Styrofoam, effectively cushioning and absorbing shock during a crash. Here again, technology has been developed to provide just enough padding to help the head come to a smooth stop instead of suddenly being jolted against a hard surface. Now, aside from getting the padding “just right” there’s even a helmet out there now that claims to provide a sort of immediate medical attention—by using technology that kicks into cool the brain and prevent brain swelling in the seconds right after crash.

Other advances such as improved chin straps, more precise helmet sizing, and increased range of visibility also mean that today’s helmets are more effective—and constantly improving—for individual riders. And building comfortable helmets is not to be ignored. Providing appropriate ventilation, built-in communication devices, making them lightweight and padded on the inside all means that riders are more likely to put the helmet on in the first place. And that, after all, is the most important part: no matter how advanced a helmet is it doesn’t do much good if it’s sitting in the garage at home when a crash happens.

Regardless of whether you’re an occasional or avid motorcycle rider, make sure that you get a helmet that works for you and that you put it to use.

His was a success story.

As told in the newspaper, it was a modest story, a humble one, as would befit a man who relied so strongly on his faith.

But when Kenneth Cecil Smith was just 55, the story came to an end when he was killed by a drunken driver.

The driver, 26-year-old Christopher Sheffield of Kernersville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty this week to felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired. He was sentenced to 20 to 33 months in prison.

The crash, which took place at 9 o’clock the night of December 2, 2010, happened when Sheffield hit the victim’s motorcycle with his Jeep. His blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent.

The crash ended a life of service.

^{Image by Geograph/P Flannagan}

The motorcycle rider himself had overcome a drinking problem when he was a youth. Kenneth, sometimes known as “Kenny” to his friends, had spent the years since mentoring young men who struggled with alcohol, and was still an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

At the time of his death, he was helping an Iraq War veteran get back on his feet.

His mother said that Kenneth was a generous man who devoted his life to caring for others. He took care of his wife, who passed away a year before he did, and of his mother, nursing her after she broke her leg earlier in the year.

His obituary described him as “a very active member” of his church, and said he was a past president of the Winston-Salem Christian Motorcyclists Association, and was always available for charitable activities. Their website posts his photo and says that “he served quietly and never required recognition.” The obit even listed his “canine survivors” – homeless dogs he had taken in (Missy, Rockford, Nickie, Maverick and Bentley).

Mourners’ comments on his online guestbook said things such as “Kenny was a great person to me,” “how good he was to all,” and “he was a true friend and a brother in Christ.”

For some people, the power alcohol holds over them is a dreadful thing. In this case, it led a young man to take to the road and kill another human being. This crime stole a beloved son from his mother and a friend from the community. Society lost a man who worked to prevent the abuse of the very drug that became the source of his death.

And the man caused this death will pay a price as well. He will do his time, and come out of prison with a stain on his record that will last all his life. Remorse will haunt him all his days as well.

Kenneth’s mother said she prays that the young man will turn his life around and do the kinds of things her son did.

I admire her attitude, but I wonder if good deeds will ever be enough to atone for the heartache he caused or to free him of his guilt.

His was a success story.

As told in the newspaper, it was a modest story, a humble one, as would befit a man who relied so strongly on his faith.

But when Kenneth Cecil Smith was just 55, the story came to an end when he was killed by a drunken driver.

The driver, 26-year-old Christopher Sheffield of Kernersville, North Carolina, pleaded guilty this week to felony death by motor vehicle and driving while impaired. He was sentenced to 20 to 33 months in prison.

The crash, which took place at 9 o’clock the night of December 2, 2010, happened when Sheffield hit the victim’s motorcycle with his Jeep. His blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent.

The crash ended a life of service.

^{Image by Geograph/P Flannagan}

The motorcycle rider himself had overcome a drinking problem when he was a youth. Kenneth, sometimes known as “Kenny” to his friends, had spent the years since mentoring young men who struggled with alcohol, and was still an active member of Alcoholics Anonymous.

At the time of his death, he was helping an Iraq War veteran get back on his feet.

His mother said that Kenneth was a generous man who devoted his life to caring for others. He took care of his wife, who passed away a year before he did, and of his mother, nursing her after she broke her leg earlier in the year.

His obituary described him as “a very active member” of his church, and said he was a past president of the Winston-Salem Christian Motorcyclists Association, and was always available for charitable activities. Their website posts his photo and says that “he served quietly and never required recognition.” The obit even listed his “canine survivors” – homeless dogs he had taken in (Missy, Rockford, Nickie, Maverick and Bentley).

Mourners’ comments on his online guestbook said things such as “Kenny was a great person to me,” “how good he was to all,” and “he was a true friend and a brother in Christ.”

For some people, the power alcohol holds over them is a dreadful thing. In this case, it led a young man to take to the road and kill another human being. This crime stole a beloved son from his mother and a friend from the community. Society lost a man who worked to prevent the abuse of the very drug that became the source of his death.

And the man who caused this death will pay a price as well. He will do his time, and come out of prison with a stain on his record that will last the rest of his life. Remorse will haunt him all his days as well.

Kenneth’s mother said she prays that the young man will turn his life around and do the kinds of things her son did.

I admire her attitude, but I wonder if good deeds will ever be enough to atone for the heartache he caused or to free him of his guilt.

Our Michigan motorcycle accident lawyer recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from a fatal Southfield motorcycle accident.  We represent the biker’s family in this lawsuit.  The motorcyclist was riding his bike on 12 Mile Road near Franklin Road when a motorist negligently turned in front of his motorcycle and struck him.  He was thrown from the motorcycle and died at the scene.  Police issued a ticket to the driver and the prosecutor’s office is considering filing criminal charges.

The wrongful death lawsuit seeks all permissible damages under the Michigan Wrongful Death Statute.  These include claims for the loss of his companionship by his family, loss of earnings, funeral expenses, and other damages.  The suit was filed in the Oakland County Circuit Court.  No trial date has been set.

Our Michigan motorcycle accident lawyers are reporting a Grand Rapids motorcycle accident that took place on August 7th. According to police, Jeanine Serba was riding on the back of a motorcycle driven by Daniel Martin on U.S. 131 near Leonard Street when she fell off the back and was struck by a van and killed. It is undetermined as to why she fell off, and Martin sustained non-life threatening injuries due to the crash.

I am very sorry to hear about this accident. My condolences go out to the family of the deceased victim and I hope the injured victim has a fast recovery without any permanent damages.

Our Michigan motorcycle accident lawyers advise victims of their legal rights. If the motorcycle crash did not involve contact with another motor vehicle, a legal claim can not be made. However, since the bike accident did involve another motor vehicle, the family of the deceased victim may be able to make a claim for Survivor Loss Benefits. This can include payment of funeral expenses, lost wages, and loss of other services.  Depending on the cause of the accident, the family of the deceased may also be able to file a Michigan wrongful death lawsuit as well.

The injured motorcyclist may be able to make a claim for Michigan no-fault benefits. No fault benefits will cover their medical expenses, lost wages, attendant care, replacement services, and other benefits related to injuries suffered in the accident.  At the very least all parites invovled should contact the best possible lawyer to look into these possibilities.