Prominent Pennsylvania Lawyer Seeks Helmet Law Change

A prominent Pennsylvania lawyer , Stewart L. Cohen, is again calling for a change in that state's helmet laws after hearing about the motorcycle accident in which Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered serious injury. Saddened by the news, the lawyer said he was not surprised it happened in Pennsylvania.

As president of the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, Cohen wrote an op-ed article for the newspaper last fall in which he called for the reinstatement of a mandatory helmet law.

The lawyer has been quoted in Pennsylvania newspapers as saying, "Ironic, isn't it, that a person whose profession requires that he wear a helmet to protect himself in an organized contact sport can legally go bareheaded on the road at speeds of 65 miles per hour?"

Roethlisberger injuries included a broken jaw and nose and he spent seven hours in surgery.

The lawyer expressed his hopes for a full recovery for Roethlisberger, adding that he would like to see the football player become an advocate in Pennsylvania for young people to wear helmets.

Pennsylvania lawmakers changed the helmet laws in 2003 allowing trained or experienced adult motorcycle riders to choose not to wear a helmet. That year Pennsylvania recorded 27 deaths of riders without helmets. In 2004 there were 70 deaths and 87 in 2005.

For the safety of all riders, Pennsylvania should reinstate the mandatory helmet law, the prominent lawyer said.