Head Injuries

A grant from the Ahmanson Foundation will enable a cognitive retraining program at Pierce College to continue re-educating people who have had traumatic head injuries, college officials have announced. The program, which began last fall, was originally funded by Ahmanson for one year, but educators at Pierce were able to gain a second $20,000 grant this month from the Beverly Hills-based foundation.

Head injuries suffered earlier in life may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. "As a practical matter, [this] may be one more reason to wear that bike helmet instead of keeping it in a closet," said Dr. Richard J. Havlik of the National Institute on Aging. Several prior studies of a possible link between head injuries and Alzheimer's have yielded conflicting results.

Seattle Seahawk safety Ken Hamlin was in serious but stable condition Monday because of a fractured skull and other head injuries suffered in an early-morning fight outside a nightclub. Hamlin also has a small blood clot and bruising of the brain tissue. He was to remain in intensive care for the next day or two, team physician Stan Herring said. "Right now, he is awake intermittently and talking to us," Herring said.

An autopsy Monday in Atlantic City, N.J., showed that boxer Stephan Johnson died Sunday of head injuries he had suffered Nov. 20 in a junior-middleweight bout there against Paul Vaden. The 31-year-old New York fighter, who had suffered previous head injuries, was knocked out by Vaden and never regained consciousness. Johnson continued to box, even after his manager and mother had urged him to quit after a knockout in a fight in Toronto sent him to the hospital last April.

After crashing with more than 20 other drivers in a last-lap melee Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Jr. lashed out at what he called the "ridiculous" pack racing on the high-banked oval. The driver also occasionally held his head afterward, although he said he was not injured. Turns out that wasn't the case. Earnhardt will miss the next two Sprint Cup Series races after his second concussion in the past six weeks, most likely ending the championship chances of NASCAR's most popular driver.

A motor scooter driver not wearing a helmet died Saturday of head injuries after crashing into a curb in Lancaster, authorities said. Gary Jensen, 48, of Lancaster struck the curb at the corner of 4th Street East and Avenue J-5 while trying to make a turn, said Deputy Ed Grantham of the Antelope Valley sheriff's station. "He was an inexperienced rider," Grantham said.

A 48-year-old man was found lying on the street in Sylmar early Thursday and later died of apparent head injuries, Los Angeles police said. The name of the Pacoima man was not released pending notification of his family. Detectives said his death was being handled as a murder. Lt. Bernard D. Conine said the victim had suffered head injuries in a possible attack. He was found unconscious about 12:30 a.m. in the 12300 block of San Fernando Road. No witnesses had been located by police.

A 43-year-old woman died early Saturday after a two-car collision at Newhope Street and Trask Avenue. The accident occurred at 9:29 a.m. when a car eastbound on Trask hit the car in which Teresa H. Victorica was riding, Garden Grove police said. Victorica, who suffered head injuries, died at 10:05 a.m. at Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, coroner's officials said. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, police said.

A 2-year-old girl who was struck by a pickup truck as she ran across the street to greet her father died of her injuries, police said Friday. Lorrie Galvez suffered massive head injuries and was pronounced dead Thursday about 10:30 p.m. at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana. The accident occurred Thursday about 7:15 p.m. near the intersection of Shelton and Camille streets, police said. The driver of the pickup was apparently driving safely and couldn't avoid hitting the little girl.