Legal & policy
By freelance journalist and spinal cord injury survivor, R.F. Hunt There is fear and anxiety amongst the spinal cord injury (SCI) community regarding the government’s proposed plans for tightening the eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) using the ‘daily living’ section of PIP. Many people with SCI, like Julie, Janet and Dan in this article, [...]
There are two types of brain injury professional: those that embrace Artificial Intelligence and those that will be left behind Warren Collins, Catastrophic Injuries Lawyer at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP takes a peak at AI The intersection of artificial intelligence and traumatic brain injury (TBI) litigation is rapidly evolving, creating new opportunities and challenges that [...]
New Government guidance requires all health and care staff to complete training on supporting people with learning disabilities and autistic people. The Oliver McGowan code of practice sets out the standards providers must meet to comply with legal duties under the Health and Care Act 2022. The training aims to tackle health inequalities experienced by [...]
A university researcher has warned that a viral challenge involving high-speed collisions is exposing young people to serious brain injuries and long-term neurological risks. The “Run It Straight” challenge, widely shared on platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, involves participants – often young men – sprinting at each other and colliding at full force, with [...]
Patients harmed by high-risk brain implants could receive automatic compensation under a new proposal aimed at protecting those taking part in experimental trials. The scheme would introduce a “no-fault” compensation model for people fitted with brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) – devices implanted in the brain to treat conditions such as epilepsy or paralysis. BCIs may offer [...]
A 15-year-old three-time world kickboxing champion died from a severe traumatic brain injury after an unsanctioned bout that lacked basic safety measures, a coroner has found. Alex Eastwood, from Fazakerley, Liverpool, collapsed following a charity match at TKMA Gym in Wigan, where he faced a 17-year-old opponent. He died three days later, on 29 June [...]
Race Across the World contestant Sam Gardiner died from a brain injury sustained in a car crash, an inquest has heard. The 24-year-old featured in the BBC series alongside his mum Jo in the series which aired in March 2020. The mother-son duo travelled across Mexico and Argentina as part of the cross-country challenge and [...]
New funding has been secured by a charity which works with people with Cerebral Palsy in Scotland, to help sustain and develop its specialist support service. Cerebral Palsy Scotland works with children, adults and whole families across the country to help them build skills, knowledge, confidence and relationships, enabling them to overcome barriers that may [...]
A US woman suing Costco for US$14m after a display cabinet allegedly fell on her in a California store, causing a traumatic brain injury. Sadie Novotny filed the lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corporation following the 22 March incident at the company’s Santa Rosa store in northern California. According to court documents, Novotny was walking down [...]
Organisers of a viral full-contact sport are offering US$200,000 in prize money for their next event, despite warnings from a neuroscientist and concussion expert about the dangers of the social media-driven challenge. The RUNIT Championship League announced the prize pool in an Instagram post on Sunday, just weeks after the death of a 19-year-old in [...]
