Sports Related Traumatic Brain Injuries in Georgia Youth Athletics
The recent controversy concerning the decision by the Philadelphia Eagles to return players to action shortly after suffering concussions has helped draw attention to the rising problem of sports related traumatic brain injuries. One of the Eagles' injured players was returned to the game after only four minutes, which is not long enough to perform any real diagnostic examination.
The risk of sports related traumatic brain injuries like concussions has become such a serious issue that Congress is currently considering legislation that imposes new rules on the management of such sports related traumatic brain injuries to make high school sports safer.
According to one study, as many as 47% of all high school football players and about 140,000 high school athletes annually suffer concussions. Some people assume such injuries are limited to high contact sports like football, but basketball related traumatic brain injuries have increased 70% over a ten year period. Often high school athletes are not held out of activity long enough, which can result in more serious and permanent traumatic brain injuries. A study found that about 15.8% of high school football players who sustain a concussion serious enough to lose consciousness return to practice the following day. At Montlick and Associates, we have been representing those who suffer traumatic brain injuries for over 39 years.
Sports related brain injuries that are not initially severe often go undetected. There may be no outward sign of physical trauma, and a brain injury often does not show up in diagnostic tests like an MRI. This means that physicians often rely on the report from the athlete regarding symptoms. Youth and high school athletes frequently are less than candid about their symptoms because they do not understand the risk of returning to action too quickly. A young athlete may not reach full recovery before returning to action and can suffer devastating long-term brain injuries. Because young athletes' brains are still developing, their injuries can be much more serious and long-term.
Head and neck injuries to young athletes can be the result of defective equipment as well as negligent supervision by coaches or medical personnel, including rushing an athlete back into action too quickly after a concussion. If negligent protective equipment contributes to a young athlete's injury, he or she may be able to seek compensation from the company that manufactured or sold the equipment. A claim may also be available against the person involved in the accident including a coach, team doctor or school district in situations where they contribute to a child's injuries or make them worse, such as, rushing a young athlete who has suffered a concussion back into a sporting event.
If your child has suffered a head or neck injury while participating in a sports activity, the Georgia personal injury lawyers at Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, can help you obtain compensation for your child's injuries. Call Montlick & Associates today to see how we can help. We are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. Call us today for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333), or visit us on the web at www.montlick.com. No matter where you are, we are just a phone call away and we will even come to you.