CBS 2 News interviewed brain injury lawyer, Ilyas Akbari,
about the lawsuit he filed against Riddell, alleging their
helmet is defective
CBS 2 News Los AngelesAugust 24, 2010
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Edward Acuna was a Varsity football player at Garey High School in Pomona, California when he suffered a severe brain injury during the game played on October 16, 2009. Edward collided with another player as he tackled him. The front of his helmet did not hold up during the collision. Edward immediately fell to the ground, got up and stumbled to the sideline, where he quickly collapsed to the ground. He suffered a concussion so severe that his brain began to bleed and he was rushed to the hospital by helicopter. He fell into a coma and now suffers from a severe traumatic brain injury.
He was diagnosed with a left subdural hematoma that led to severe and lasting physical, mental, and nervous system pain and suffering and resulting permanent disability. Edward is partially paralyzed and will require life-long treatment and care.
Edward’s family hired the Los Angeles-based law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman. Ilyas Akbari, a bioengineer, is the attorney handling their case. The TBI lawsuit he filed on behalf of the Acuna family is against Riddell Sports, Inc., the company that manufactured Edward’s helmet. According to the lawsuit, one of the problems with the helmet is the pad in the front, which cannot handle typical temperatures that happen during a game and do not adequately protect those who wear them. Akbari states “The temperature inside their helmet gets upwards to about 120 degrees, and unfortunately, this pad loses almost all of its protection at that temperature.”
Air Date: August 24, 2010
Incident Date: October 16, 2009
