What should you know about football and other contact sports, and the risk of CTE and other serious forms of brain trauma? Consider the following information from our Vista personal injury lawyers.

Long History of Brain Injuries and Contact Sports

For many years now, researchers have known that contact sports such as football, hockey, and soccer, especially American football, carry significant risks of brain injury. In particular, researchers have focused for a number of years on multiple concussions and how, over time, athletes who sustained multiple concussions during their careers ultimately develop CTE. As The New York Times reports, it was nearly 20 years ago that CTE was first linked to NFL players’ deaths. It is a debilitating degenerative condition that can only be identified posthumously, in other words, after death.

CTE has been linked to severe mood disturbances, memory loss, and other forms of cognitive decline, changes in behavior including increased aggressivity and impulse control, and dementia. Now, a new study says this devastating condition is even more common than previously thought.

Just How Common is CTE Among Football Players?

Nearly one out of every four former NFL players, nearly 25% of all former NFL players, to be clear, who died between the years 2016 and 2021 have been posthumously diagnosed with CTE. Some of those players were still in their 20s, while others were still quite young in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Some lived until their 70s and 80s. Yet that number may not be entirely accurate, either. In fact, the number could actually be much higher in terms of the number of football players who develop CTE.

Indeed, as The New York Times reports, that figure of 25% does not include a large portion of brains that were not examined in the study, and “maybe many of them likely had CTE too,” the article says. With this new and devastating data, new injury lawsuits against the NFL and other organizations may emerge.

Contact a Vista Personal Injury Lawyer for Assistance with a Brain Injury Lawsuit Today

If you have a loved one who died and was later diagnosed with CTE, or if you or someone you love sustained concussions while playing sports and now have some of the debilitating symptoms associated with CTE, it may be possible to move forward with a civil lawsuit. An experienced Vista personal injury attorney at our firm can speak with you today to learn more about the details of your case and to discuss the party or parties who may be liable and may be named as defendants in a lawsuit. Contact North County Injury Lawyers today for assistance.

While you might begin by filing a third-party auto insurance claim or a general liability claim, initial settlement offers often fall short of covering your full lifetime losses. When insurance coverage is insufficient, filing a California personal injury lawsuit allows you to pursue complete court-awarded financial recovery.

Before taking legal action, many victims wonder: Can I calculate my own damages?

While you can compile receipts and estimate initial expenses yourself, an accurate valuation requires calculating both objective financial losses and subjective non-economic impacts under California personal injury laws. Calculating your damages accurately with an experienced North County personal injury lawyer ensures you do not settle for far less than your claim is worth.

Understanding Personal Injury Damages Under California Law

In a California personal injury lawsuit, damages fall into two main compensatory categories, along with a rare third category reserved for extreme misconduct.

How Economic and Non-Economic Damages Are Calculated

Estimating the value of your case requires two distinct calculation methods:

• Tallying Economic Losses: Calculating economic damages is relatively straightforward. You and your attorney gather tangible evidence – such as hospital bills, payroll records, invoices, and future medical treatment projections – and calculate the precise total of your direct financial losses.
• Valuing Non-Economic Losses: Because non-economic damages are inherently subjective, they are far more complex to calculate. Insurance adjusters sometimes use methods like a multiplier (multiplying your total economic damages by a number between 2 to 5, depending on injury severity) or a per diem rate.

Why Self-Calculating Damages Can Harm Your Claim

Attempting to estimate your claim’s value on your own often leads to underestimating long-term costs. Missed expenses – such as future surgery needs, vocational retraining, or inflation-adjusted medical care – are nearly impossible to recover once you accept a settlement release. Insurance companies frequently exploit unrepresented injury victims by offering lowball settlements before the true extent of non-economic damages is known.

Working with a local personal injury lawyer ensures every financial and emotional impact is fully documented, giving you the leverage required to negotiate a fair settlement or present a strong case at trial.

Speak with a Carlsbad Personal Injury Attorney Today

Calculating your personal injury damages gives you the clarity needed to decide whether to accept an insurance settlement or pursue a lawsuit in North County San Diego.

If you were injured in Carlsbad or the surrounding San Diego area, do not leave your financial recovery to chance. Contact the team at North County Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation to review your medical records, calculate your potential damages, and protect your legal rights.