Sports and Brain Injuries

Posted Date:

Mon, 10/17/2011

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 300,000 people every year suffer concussions while involved in sports. Although concussions are considered a mild type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to their typically temporary nature, they can also disguise the symptoms of more serious injuries and put athletes at risk for second impact syndrome (SIS), in which the lingering effects of a concussion are exacerbated by an additional trauma.

Nearly every sport is accompanied by an inherent risk for injuries. That said, a significant number of sports-related brain injuries are caused or worsened by negligence that may include:

Defective equipment such as helmets or mouthguards
Ignoring the warning signs of a concussion or other TBI
Allowing an athlete to play without medical clearance following a brain injury

While a majority of sports-related brain injuries occur in contact sports such as football, hockey and boxing, concussions and other TBIs may result from any sport in which there is a chance for an impact to the head including:

Baseball
Basketball
Biking
Horseback riding
Martial arts
Snowboarding
Skiing
Soccer
Wrestling

Many organized sports—including most school-sanctioned sports—require a consent form, designed to help protect institutions, coaches, property owners and attending health care professionals from liability should a TBI or other injury occur. These documents do not necessarily preclude you from pursuing legal action if you or a family member is harmed during a sports activity due to certain negligent circumstances or action.

An attorney experienced in sports-related brain injury cases may be able to help you pursue the financial compensation you need to recover even if you signed a release form.

If you or a loved one suffered a brain injury while engaged in sports, please contact the TBI attorneys at Atlee Hall & Brookhart for your free case consultation. We serve clients in Lancaster, Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania.