CTC Global Enterprise Operations
Innovation · Culture · Education
The Helmet Problem
Current Helmets
Established S/R and PC helmet producers in TXO markets are not producing necessary designs to sufficiently protect critically vulnerable head, brain, and neck areas. The depth of their focus is limited because they don’t address all those areas for helmet wearers.
Some helmet designs actually facilitate traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and neck injuries (NI), and are grossly inadequate in mitigating/preventing impact causing such injuries.
TBI are created by “brain sloshing” caused when the head receives a blow or is violently shaken, and the brain sloshes back and forth hitting the inside walls of the skull. Such movement causes brain tissue damage and disrupts cognitive activity.
- Annual S/R TBI occurrences: 1.6 – 3.8M (estimated)
- Common results: Concussions / CTE / Dementia / Suicide
NI are commonly caused by neck hyper-extension.
- Annual S/R NI occurrences: 3K (estimated)
- Common results: Neck Fractures / Spinal Cord Damage / Paralysis (8.39% of sports injuries cause paralysis) / Death
Statistics for TBI and NI reflect the urgent need for TXO’s mechanized next-generation 3-tier helmet systems in 14 global sports/recreation activities and the PC category.
Helmet Problems in the Media
The global news media’s focus on concussions, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), paralysis, suicide, and death in the S/R world has generated tremendous awareness and concern for active participants. The following is a list of notable victims:
- Steve Montador / Hockey – Concussions, CTE, 2015
- Kelly Catlin / Cycling – Concussions, CTE, and suicide, 2019
- Ellie Soutter, / Snowboarding – Concussions, CTE, and suicide, 2018
- Aaron Hernandez / Football – Concussions, CTE, and suicide, 2017
- Eric LeGrand / Football – Paralysis caused by fractured cervical vertebrae, 2010
- Sarah Burke / Skiing – Fatal head injury, 2012
The above are high-profile victims. But you usually don’t hear about:
- kids concussed in Pop Warner football
- the park district snowboarder paralyzed from a fractured neck
- the casual weekend skier who crashes into a tree and becomes comatose
- the junior hockey player’s skull fractured after “crashing the boards