E. Blinderman, 70; Head Injury Expert

Dr. Elliott E. Blinderman, the Beverly Hills neurosurgeon who testified for passage of California’s mandatory motorcycle helmet law a decade ago, has died. He was 70.

Blinderman, who taught at UCLA School of Medicine and practiced at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, died Jan. 22 in a traffic collision while on vacation in Naples, Fla.

His wife, Century City attorney Barbara Blinderman, who is active in the Sacramento-based California First Amendment Coalition, was injured in the crash of the couple’s car with a motor home that was attempting to pass them and another automobile.

In 1991, Dr. Blinderman offered supportive clinical testimony in Sacramento when the previously failed motorcycle helmet law was revived.

Supporters were arguing that head injuries then accounted for nearly half of motorcycle deaths.

“They come in with blood coming out of their ears and you just know it’s another unhelmeted biker,” Blinderman said as the new law went to Gov. Pete Wilson to be approved.

“If they live, they often are brain dead or paralyzed. Many of these disasters would have been prevented if they’d been helmeted.”

Practicing on the Westside, Blinderman treated several famous clients over his long career.

Among them was Paul Kantner, Jefferson Starship lead guitarist and a co-founder of Jefferson Airplane, who suffered a brain hemorrhage in 1980 at the age of 39.

Blinderman determined that Kantner had suffered no blood clot and therefore did not require surgery, although he said at the outset that the chances of suffering a brain hemorrhage that doesn’t require surgery were “1 in 10,000.”

Another of the neurosurgeon’s well-known patients was Marques Johnson of the Clippers, who suffered a neck injury in a collision with teammate Benoit Benjamin in November 1986.

Born in Brooklyn, Blinderman was educated at City College of New York and Cornell University Medical Center where he earned the John Metcalf Polk Award. He completed his residency at UCLA.

The neurosurgeon taught at UCLA for 40 years, and since 1992 had served on its Medical School Admissions Committee.

Blinderman is survived by his wife of 42 years, Barbara; one son, Jonathan; and two daughters, Lisa Justice and Jennifer Brady.

The family has asked that memorial donations be made to either the National Museum of Wildlife Art, P.O. Box 6825, Jackson Hole, WY 83002; or to the Elliott E. Blinderman Memorial Fund at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8701 W. 3rd St., No. 190, Los Angeles, CA 90048.