Working with brain injured clients on a daily basis, I was interested to read about the technology being used to study head injuries in US army soldiers. HEADS (Headborne Energy and Diagnostic System), contains a sensor and data recorder that is fixed within the soldier’s helmet, It lies dormant until there is an impact to the head, at which point it activates and records data relevant to the moment of impact.

Here at Pannone, many of our brain injured clients suffer from pre and post traumatic amnesia, meaning that they are not able to recall events leading up to their accident, the point of impact, or what has happened days and sometimes weeks after the accident. This can obviously cause difficulties in obtaining information as to exactly how the accident occurred. This technology will presumably be invaluable to the Army in facilitating early diagnosis of traumatic brain injury so that the correct therapies and rehabilitation can be put in to place at an early stage. 

The developer of the HEADS technology, Stephen Pruitt, also hopes that analysis of the data recorded by the gadget will enable better helmets to be produced by the US Army in future.

There are also trials of the use of the HEADS technology taking place in American football, a sport which is well known for its high impact injuries.

In the serious injury team at Pannone we see all too often the traumatic and life changing effects of brain injuries, and we welcome any system that can assist in the prevention and early diagnosis of these injuries.

If you or a member of your family has suffered a brain injury in an accident, please call 0800 0384 384 for a no obligation discussion with one of our specialist serious injury lawyer.