The insidious consequences of one punch attacks

By Dr Fatima Nasrallah
January 23 2016 - 7:30am
Concussions are often associated with subtle symptoms of headache, memory loss, and confusion. Image: Megan Campbell, QBI
Concussions are often associated with subtle symptoms of headache, memory loss, and confusion. Image: Megan Campbell, QBI

The devastating death of Cole Miller, as in the case of Daniel Christie, who was coward punched in Sydney in 2014, is yet another eye opener to the grave consequences of alcohol-fueled one-punch attacks in Australia. These tragic cases have gained much media attention because of the immediate severity of the violence, but the reality is that, in many thousands of cases, a punch – fatal or not – is more than just a knock to the head. A single punch has more insidious, unseen effects that can surface and become more apparent decades down the track.