Youth sport injuries can be very life-changing and devastating because of how serious they are. In order to keep your child safe while playing the sport they love, it is important that you are aware of how they can get injured and try to prevent it. Using the right equipment and understanding the rules of the game and how to play fair are the two most important ways to help prevent injuries. Getting injured at a young age can carry on for the rest of your life, causing more injuries that can be serious later on.
Types of Sport Injuries
Common injuries among children playing sports include concussions, muscle strains, broken bones, fractured bones, traumatic brain injuries, spine injuries, or even a heat stroke. There are two kinds of sports injuries, acute traumatic injuries and overuse injuries. Acute traumatic injuries are injuries like fractures, strains, sprains, concussions, and cuts. These result from getting tackled in football, getting checked in hockey, or falling off a skateboard. Overuse injuries are ones that include stress fractures and tendonitis. Stress fractures and tendonitis can be life-lasting, irritating injuries that can come up later in your life. They are otherwise known as chronic injuries because they can result from overtraining and can get more serious if they are not treated properly.
You can get injured anywhere on your body, but there are areas in your body where injuries are more common or more serious in certain sports. Neck and head injuries most often occur in sports like football, hockey, or rugby, because of the contact in the sport. Neck injuries are also common in gymnastics because of falling accidents. Neck and head injuries are typically the most dangerous injuries as a child, because of the long-lasting symptoms they can include. Back injuries are typically derived from twists or overexertion of back muscles while bending over or lifting improperly. Similar to head injuries, back injuries are most common in contact sports like football, although weightlifting is a big cause of back injuries. However, hand and wrist injuries are extremely common in almost every sport. Fingers, hands, and wrists are all at risk when playing sports like basketball, where the ball can jam into your finger or sprain your wrist trying to steal the ball. These types of injuries can all seem minor, but can turn into a major injury if it is not treated properly and in a timely manner.
What To Do If Your Youth Incurs a Sports Injury
If your child believes they are injured during the game or activity, it is important that they take a rest on the sidelines and take care of the injury before going back out. It is important that if you believe the injury is serious, you consult a doctor. Signs that you should see a doctor include:
- Unbearable pain
- Swelling around injured area
- Limited range of motion
- Continuous pain
Claim for Sports Injuries
It is possible to receive a claim if your child incurs a sports injury, and it depends where the injury originated from. If the injury originated from human negligence, defective products, or an unsafe environment, then it can be possible to receive compensation. A significant barrier to recovering damages from a sports injury is the assumption of risk, or a notion of consent. Typically, there is an assumption of risk for every sport, such as if your child is playing tackle football, there is a risk for a concussion. However, receiving an infectious disease in the locker room after the game does not fall under the assumption of risk. If you are filing for a claim due to someone’s negligence or a defective product, there is typically a cap on the amount you can claim. This is due to state sovereignty laws protecting public schools and universities; however, private schools and universities do not fall under the state sovereignty laws. It is important that if you are attempting to file a claim, you understand what the school falls under and the details regarding it.
Youth sports injuries could seem minor, but can be detrimental to your child’s health later in their life. It is important that as a parent, you take caution and ensure your child has the correct equipment and understands the rules to help prevent injuries from happening. If your child has incurred a sports injury due to someone else’s negligence or a defective product, it is important that you seek legal assistance to help receive compensation. At Richard Harris Law Firm, our trusted attorneys have years of experience dealing with youth sports injuries and can help you with your case and inform you about the seriousness of sports injuries in children.