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The following excerpts and photograph are from an article which appeared in the Sunday Oct. 20, 2002 Pittsburgh Tribune Revue and is reprinted by permission.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

BRAINY MOVE

Linda Doty of the American Trauma Society fits Lamar LedbetDowntown gets her helmet adjusted by her father, Dr. Yesh Navalgund, Saturday at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. Free helmets were distributed to children as part of Brain Injury Awareness Month ---- 60 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. yesterday.

Groups hand out hundreds of helmets

By Bill Zlatos TRIBUNE‑REVIEW

Eight-year old Nicholas Morgart wears a helmet whenever he goes for a ride. "They keep me safe," explained Nicholas, of North Huntingdon, West-moreland County.He received a free helmet Saturday ---- his birthday ---- at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium.

He received a free helmet Saturday ---- his birthday ---- at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. UPMC Rehabilitation Hospital and the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania distributed 340 as part of Brain Injury Awareness Month.

"Of all the active sports people engage in, riding a bicycle has the highest number of injuries associated with it," said Dr. Gary Goldberg, director of brain injury rehabilitation at UPMC Rehabilitation Hospital.

Bike accidents kill about 900 people a year, including 200 younger than 15. About 150,000 children are hospitalized every year because of bicycle mishaps.

"We know from scientific research that the risk of serious brain injury from bicycle accidents is reduced by 85 percent if the child is wearing a helmet," Goldberg said.

Nicholas' mother, Pam, 41, said the giveaway was a perfect opportunity for him to replace the one he outgrew. "He wears a helmet every single time he rides a bike, every single time he rides a scooter, and now that he's Rollerblading, he wears a helmet then as well," she said.

Dr. Yesh Navalgund, 31, Down- town, adjusted the strap of a free helmet for his 3-year-old daughter Naina. "We just got her a three wheeler," he said. Navalgund said his wife, Brinda, is a big supporter of wearing helmets because she is a rehabilitation doctor.

Melva Ledbetter, 42, of Penn Hills, brought her 3 year old son Lamar to the zoo to get a helmet, too. She said, "If every parent would encourage their children ---- rather, make their children ---- wear a helmet when they ride a bike, scooter, skateboard, we would have fewer incidents of brain injury."

Ed Crinnion, coordinator of the Pittsburgh Area Brain Injury Alliance, knows well the effects of brain injuries. He has had three. The most recent and most severe was in 1989 when a tractor trailer struck the van he was driving near Harrisburg. The injury left him clinically dead. "The danger part of any body is the head," he said. "If it is not protected, impact can cause serious damage."

Since his latest accident, Crinnion has been advocating helmet use and discussing brain injuries. "One of the most serious traumas for children is in sports activities," he said. Alcohol or assaults used to be the biggest killers of teenagers and young adults, he said. Now it's excessive speed. . .

Bill Zlatos can be reached at bzlatos@tribweb.com or(412)320-7838.

PS: From Ed Crinnion

Thanks to Joe Shaulis from the Tribune-Review for getting editor Frank Craig’s permission to distribute copies of their great article on Sunday’s Brain Injury Awareness Month Helmet Giveaway at the Pittsburgh Zoo and permission to put it here on our website.

A special thanks to Bill Zlatos and Jasmin Gehris for making us look and sound so good. It was a pleasant surprise when Bill said that Joe had told him to say hello to me when he saw me. He thought that since it was a TBI event, that I would probably still be involved. It’s hard to believe that it was July 10, 1995 when we first met, when he and Marc Fader came to find out what a "Kennywood Challenge Day" was. This was our first ever amusement park event for wheelchair using survivors.

A special thanks to Andy Russell (# 34) of the Steelers for autographing the helmets that we had for the kids on Saturday. They were all lined up for this special personal touch for their personal helmet.

Most especially, thanks to Linda Doty and the American Trauma Society. Linda was on hand to help give away and fit the 340 helmets that they had donated.

I arrived at the Zoo with the video "A Helmet Away From Heaven". I also brought the ‘Being Safe Is Smart’ activity books which were donated by Joseph L. Romano, Esquire and the ‘All About Traffic Safety with Officer B. Ware’ coloring books and the "Remember these simple rules to protect yourself from accidents and attacks…" donated by State Senator Jane Clare Orie. Upon arrival, I was told that it had been decided to cancel the helmet giveaway because of the threatening weather.

I quickly asked Dr. Goldberg and Dr. Strauss if we could at least have a small event since we already had families with kids coming up asking about the helmets. I also pointed out that Andy Russell had already dropped by, and told me that after getting something to eat, he would be back to autograph the helmets for the kids.

Two weeks earlier, Andy had called and told me that since we had just said good-by to former Pittsburgh Steeler great, Mike Webster, and since Mike had volunteered to sign the helmets on the 19th, he would be glad to fill in for Mike. He really helped make the day for the kids as well as us adults.

Well, the hour we had went great and the line seemed longer waiting for Andy and the Gold ink pens to do their magic on their new helmets. A special thanks also to the great experts that helped in fitting the kids into the proper size helmets and showing them, and their parents, the right way to wear them for the best safety. -Ed Crinnion

----- Original Message -----

From: Joe Shaulis

To: evc@pabia.org

Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 1:23 PM

Subject: Reprint permission

Ed,

I just talked to our editor, Frank Craig, about your request. He said posting Sunday's story on the Brain Injury Association Web site is fine as long as we are given full credit.

It probably would be a good idea to include our copyright line -- "© Tribune-Review Publishing Co. 2002" -- and to note that the story was reproduced with permission.

Thanks.

Joe

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