Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Fort Lauderdale car accidents, traffic accidents, and pool incidents cause many brain injuries. Many teen and child Fort Lauderdale brain injury victims, however, sustain their injuries while playing sports. A new bill has passed the Florida Legislature to prevent just these injuries. Senate Bill 256, unanimously passed, was sponsored by Senator Anitere Flores, and aims to prevent student athletes from getting back into the game too soon after a brain injury. The bill has been sent to Governor Rick Scott to be signed.
The bill has the approval of the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association and is designed to ensure that there are stricter policies in place to get injured athletes back into the game. The bill raises awareness about the role of brain injuries in sports and ensures that students only are allowed back into the game with a physicians’ approval and after certain precautions have been met.
According to many experts, the bill is much needed because brain injuries are a leading cause of serious injuries to Fort Lauderdale teens and minors. In many cases, brain injuries occur during sports when teens are hit in the head or when they fall onto a hard surface (such as ice). When this occurs, the brain inside the skull bounces against the hard surface and this impact can cause cell death or soft tissue injury. This type of injury is known as traumatic brain injury and it can occur in virtually any sport, including cheerleading, basketball, hockey, football, and others. A Fort Lauderdale brain injury can also occur during a game, practice, tryout, or any other time.
Brain injuries can cause memory loss, confusion, loss of motor skills, and even fatalities. It is vital for athletes to recover fully from their injury before returning to their sport. If an athlete does not fully recover from an injury and sustains a second brain injury, that second injury will likely be more severe and more likely to cause permanent injury or death. There is also research that suggests that teens and children need more time to recover from brain injuries than adults, since children’s brains are still developing and therefore more vulnerable. Yet, experts also note that children are likely to return to a sport well before they are ready.
The Center for Injury Research and Policy reports that about 140 000 student athletes in the nation’s high schools suffer concussions annually and about 40% of those injured athletes return to their sport before it is safe to do so. Part of the problem is that many schools do not have professionals who know how to evaluate brain injuries in the field. A student may feel fine and may return to the game, even though they have suffered a serious and potentially life-threatening injury. Some brain injuries do not exhibit symptoms immediately, which also makes evaluation challenging. It is hoped that the new bill will help prevent serious brain injuries among student athletes.
If you or a loved one has sustained a Fort Lauderdale brain injury, contact the Flaxman Law Group today to arrange for a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your situation. The Flaxman Law Group can help you understand how much your case is worth and how you can secure the resources you need to pay for medical treatment and assistance.