Football Injuries
Football is a violent sport, and injuries are an inevitable part of the game. According to the National Athletic Trainers Association, a recent year saw 413,620 injuries in youth football alone.
Most of the time, these injuries occur in the regular flow of the game and do not affect critical parts of the body. There are, however, potential scenarios where a football injury could cause a life-altering injury.
If, for example, coaches or administrators force a player to enter a game after suffering a serious head injury, the parents of the player may be able to seek legal relief through a personal injury lawsuit. Manufacturers of poorly designed helmets may also be targets of a lawsuit for a football-related brain injury.
Football-Related Brain Injuries
Concussions and other brain traumas in football have recently grabbed headlines, as famous athletes continue to suffer these injuries. Unfortunately, professional football players are not the only athletes who suffer serious brain injuries.
The statistics on football head injuries are eye-opening. In a recent study, the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research estimated that:
- Roughly 300,000 football-related concussions occur each year.
- 10 to 15 percent of high school football players get a concussion every year.
- Of this 10 to 15 percent, only a fraction receive proper post-concussion treatment.
- During one recent season, at least 9 high school students failed to recover from serious head injuries.
These statistics provide a sobering reminder of the dangers of football, and they also serve as a warning to coaches and athletic trainers to treat head injuries very seriously.
Preventing Head Injuries in Football
There are a number of measures football teams can take to help reduce their risk of serious head injuries. These include:
- All players with past head injuries should receive thorough physical examinations before playing again.
- Coaches and trainers should ensure that each player's helmet fits properly.
- Tacklers should never lead with their head.
- Medical staffs must be prepared to diagnose and treat concussions immediately after they occur.
Many coaches and trainers do excellent jobs of protecting young football players with head injuries. However, this is not always the case.
If you believe that you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury as a result of negligent coaching or medical care, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit.
To learn more about the laws in your state governing football injuries, contact a local injury lawyer today.