In Focus: Football Injuries
Who is liable when a football player suffers a serious injury?
Football is an immensely popular sport in America. Football players range in age and skill level from youths to professional players. While football can be fun and exhilarating to both watch and play, it can also pose immense hazards to those on the field. Football injuries can encompass ligament injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and much more. The organizers of sports such as football can at times be held accountable for these injuries. Our Georgia brain injury attorneys discuss the most common football injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, and your rights if you have experienced a football injury below.
Rates of Football Injuries
It is estimated that approximately eight players in the NCAA are injured per every 1,000 football games and practices played. Football players are almost seven times more likely to be injured during a game, as opposed to a practice. College and professional football players are not the only players to experience injury. Youth players are also at risk of injury, and injuries to players this young can potentially have long term consequences.
Catastrophic Football Injuries
Catastrophic injuries are defined as those injuries that are so severe that a sports player who experiences them may never return to the life they lead before. The most common catastrophic injury suffered by football players is a spinal cord injury. The severity of a spinal cord injury will depend largely on its location, with lower spinal cord injuries potentially leading to complete paralysis of the arms, torso, and legs.
Head injuries can also prove catastrophic. Concussions are one of the most common football related injuries suffered by players at all levels of the game. Concussions can occur from any blows to the head and potentially the body. It is critical that sports organizers recognize the signs of a concussion and follow appropriate protocols when it is suspected that a player has suffered a concussion.
Recently, the National Football League has been in the headlines for litigation related to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE. CTE was recently identified by medical professionals to be a progressive degenerative brain condition found in those who have suffered continual brain trauma. Professional football players have been found to suffer from CTE at alarmingly high rates. The NFL has settled with several families of football players that died with the disease.
Any football player or parent of a young football player who has suffered a football related injury should consult with a personal injury attorney to assess your legal rights. Sports organizers that fail to protect players from injuries or take appropriate action after an injury could be held liable for damages that result.
Posted in: Brain Injury