Head Injury

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — One person has died in an accident at Indiana 2 and Quince Road involving a semi-truck and a car carrying five people, Tribune staff at the scene reported Tuesday evening. An Indiana State Police officer at the Bremen post said the accident involved a semi. A Tribune photographer at the scene reported that the semi driver was not hurt but was taken to a hospital. A Tribune reporter said the front-seat passenger in a Cadillac carrying five people died instantly at the scene.

SOUTH BEND - As researchers learn more about the effects of concussions, coaches, players and their doctors are being more careful about when they let injured players back on the field. Concussions are considered a minor brain injury but several over time can cause serious problems and increase the risk later in life for dementia and depression. Memorial hospital is using an old machine in a new way - to measure when athletes are ready to get back on the field. "Fabulous, Sarah!

Time seemed to stand still for Lisa Banasiewicz Thursday afternoon. She was in South Bend, hundreds of miles from Virginia Beach ... where her 17-year-old son Brett suffered an accident during practice. He was wearing a helmet when it happened.  “I just kept thinking, 'OK, this isn't that bad, this isn't that bad, he's going to wake up,'” she recalled after receiving the phone call that her son was unconscious after an 8-foot fall. “I heard he was out for 5 minutes, I heard he was out for 10 minutes, then I heard he wasn't waking up and then I was freaking.” Eventually, after being unconscious more than two hours, her son woke up but was soon put into a medically induced coma by trauma doctors.  Friday, the BMX star and Washington High School senior was expected to remain in that coma until at least Sunday.  It's too soon to know how serious his brain injury is, but a neurosurgeon told Banasiewicz's parents they'll be better able to assess the severity of his head injury after he wakes up. There's a possibility, Lisa said, that Brett could make a full recovery.

The LaPorte County Sheriff's Department has arrested the driver in a deadly one-vehicle crash north of LaPorte . This happened just before 3 a.m. CST Thursday in the 3000 block of U.S. 35. Police arrived to find a vehicle in the woods about 50 feet from the road. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP Thomas Drnek II , 29, was found nearby with a head injury, but he was conscious and alert. Police say 26-year-old Jacob Anderson of LaPorte was ejected from the vehicle.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Some people who were injured in the stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair won't receive any money from a charity relief fund set up to help the victims because they weren't admitted to the hospital. How much money victims get from the State Fair Relief Fund depends on how much time they spend in the hospital. Those who were treated in emergency rooms but not admitted don't qualify. The Indianapolis Star reports Lisa Hite has a head injury and will miss work for at least 2 ½ months.

A Warsaw man is in the hospital after being hit by a train. Police received a call from Norfolk Southern just before 11 Tuesday night that they thought they hit a person. Officers went to search the area and found 25-year-old Adam Driscoll with a head injury. He was airlifted to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne where he was listed as stable. Police are investigating. They think alcohol may be a factor.

ELKHART - An Elkhart firefighter who suffered a head injury when he was hit by a car back in August is now home after six weeks at an Indianapolis rehab center. An Elkhart fire official says 51-year-old Vito Palumbo is in “good spirits” and happy to be home. Palumbo was struck by an SUV crossing the street outside South Bend Memorial Hospital. It's unknown if the 27-year veteran of the fire department can return to duty. He will go through more rehab work at Elkhart General Hospital.

There is new information about the recovery of Washington High School student and BMX star Brett Banasiewicz. His mother posted a message on Facebook saying the family is still deciding which rehab facility he will transfer to from the hospital. Lisa Banasiewicz says it will be a place that specializes in brain injuries. The 17-year-old suffered a serious head injury last month when he fell on his head while practicing for an event in Virginia.

He suffered a serious head injury just six months ago. But that's not stopping Washington High School student and BMX star Brett Banasiewicz from returning to South Bend this month to host an event he founded.  The 18-year-old's mom told WSBT in an e-mail Brett plans to attend the second annual Pro-AM BMX Contest on the 23rd and 24th; in just over two weeks. Lisa Banasiewicz says ESPN will be covering the competition. Brett continues to recover from head trauma after falling during practice in August in Virginia.

A Shipshewana teen driving a 1992 Suzuki Sidekick lost control of the vehicle on S.R. 120 west of S.R. 13 Friday night. The vehicle went down an embankment and crashed into a utility pole, injuring the driver and four passengers. The driver,  18-year-old Kristine Garten, was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for treatment of a broken knee cap and possible head injury. As of Saturday morning, she is listed in fair condition, according to a nursing supervisor. A backseat passenger, Brooke Stephenson, 16, of White Pigeon, also was airlifted to Memorial for treatment of a possible head injury.

He suffered a serious head injury just six months ago. But that's not stopping Washington High School student and BMX star Brett Banasiewicz from returning to South Bend this month to host an event he founded.  The 18-year-old's mom told WSBT in an e-mail Brett plans to attend the second annual Pro-AM BMX Contest on the 23rd and 24th; in just over two weeks. Lisa Banasiewicz says ESPN will be covering the competition. Brett continues to recover from head trauma after falling during practice in August in Virginia.

SOUTH BEND -- A 27-year-old South Bend man was seriously injured when the van he was driving crashed into a tree on Madison Road in southern St. Joseph County. St. Joseph County Police said they responded to a call from a passerby about 8 a.m. Saturday. Upon arrival, officers and fire personnel located a van that left the road way and struck a tree. The only occupant was Rodney Murphy, the driver. He was extricated from the vehicle and taken to Memorial Hospital.

The LaPorte County Sheriff's Department has arrested the driver in a deadly one-vehicle crash north of LaPorte . This happened just before 3 a.m. CST Thursday in the 3000 block of U.S. 35. Police arrived to find a vehicle in the woods about 50 feet from the road. CLICK HERE FOR A MAP Thomas Drnek II , 29, was found nearby with a head injury, but he was conscious and alert. Police say 26-year-old Jacob Anderson of LaPorte was ejected from the vehicle.

There is new information about the recovery of Washington High School student and BMX star Brett Banasiewicz. His mother posted a message on Facebook saying the family is still deciding which rehab facility he will transfer to from the hospital. Lisa Banasiewicz says it will be a place that specializes in brain injuries. The 17-year-old suffered a serious head injury last month when he fell on his head while practicing for an event in Virginia.

Doctors expect South Bend native Brett Banasiewicz, a star on the professional BMX circuit, to make a full recovery from the head injury he suffered Aug. 23, his mother told WSBT. Lisa Banasiewicz, in a text message to WSBT's David McCoy late Sunday night, said that doctors have told the family that they believe the 17-year-old South Bend Washington high schooler will make a 100 percent recovery. "That's what the doctors are telling us," she wrote, "but it is going to take time.

SOUTH BEND - As researchers learn more about the effects of concussions, coaches, players and their doctors are being more careful about when they let injured players back on the field. Concussions are considered a minor brain injury but several over time can cause serious problems and increase the risk later in life for dementia and depression. Memorial hospital is using an old machine in a new way - to measure when athletes are ready to get back on the field. "Fabulous, Sarah!

Time seemed to stand still for Lisa Banasiewicz Thursday afternoon. She was in South Bend, hundreds of miles from Virginia Beach ... where her 17-year-old son Brett suffered an accident during practice. He was wearing a helmet when it happened.  “I just kept thinking, 'OK, this isn't that bad, this isn't that bad, he's going to wake up,'” she recalled after receiving the phone call that her son was unconscious after an 8-foot fall. “I heard he was out for 5 minutes, I heard he was out for 10 minutes, then I heard he wasn't waking up and then I was freaking.” Eventually, after being unconscious more than two hours, her son woke up but was soon put into a medically induced coma by trauma doctors.  Friday, the BMX star and Washington High School senior was expected to remain in that coma until at least Sunday.  It's too soon to know how serious his brain injury is, but a neurosurgeon told Banasiewicz's parents they'll be better able to assess the severity of his head injury after he wakes up. There's a possibility, Lisa said, that Brett could make a full recovery.

A Shipshewana teen driving a 1992 Suzuki Sidekick lost control of the vehicle on S.R. 120 west of S.R. 13 Friday night. The vehicle went down an embankment and crashed into a utility pole, injuring the driver and four passengers. The driver,  18-year-old Kristine Garten, was airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for treatment of a broken knee cap and possible head injury. As of Saturday morning, she is listed in fair condition, according to a nursing supervisor. A backseat passenger, Brooke Stephenson, 16, of White Pigeon, also was airlifted to Memorial for treatment of a possible head injury.

A moving company truck, stalled on I-80 at the 12.8 mile marker in Lake County during rush hour Tuesday evening, was first sideswiped by a semi and then rear-ended by an extended cab pickup truck. The pickup truck driver, Joshua Garner, 20, of Griffith, Ind., died at the scene. Police said Garner was changing lanes when his truck hit the rear of the moving truck. Indiana State Police reported when the moving truck from Two Men and A Truck company stalled in the middle right lane of the four-lane highway, its driver DeAndre Perry, 22, of Mishawaka, activated the truck's four-way emergency lights.

UPDATE: The condition of a 10-year-old Hartford boy, who was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike on Tuesday evening, is improving at Bronson Methodist Hospital. Initially listed as fair when taken to the hospital with a head injury, on Thursday, the boy is listed in good condition, according to a news statement from Hartford Police Chief Ramon Beltran. ____________________________________________________________________________ ORIGINAL STORY posted May 9, 2012 A 10-year-old Hartford boy is in fair condition in Bronson Methodist Hospital intensive care unit with a head injury after a vehicle struck the young bicyclist Tuesday evening.