NFL study used in worker brain injury case

An Illinois man who suffered a severe brain injury on the job when a pile of lumber fell on him from three stories above settled the case for $5.1 million recently. But the unusual facet of the litigation was evidence used by lawyers for Willie Wakefield, 56, after he was injured at a Chicago workplace. His lawsuit hinged on evidence of brain injuries suffered by employees in an entirely different line of work – football. Wakefield’s attorney based the claim on the cutting-edge research of two doctors who conducted neuropathological studies on the brains of former NFL players, according to a news report of the case. The studies concluded that a single concussion caused symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease. Wakefield suffered a concussion in the 2005 workplace incident that left him with a diminished capacity for memory and learning.