Avoiding Sports Injuries this School Year

A new school year is upon us in Southern California, and with it, the danger of children being injured while participating in organized sports, physical education classes, classroom games, and other recreational activities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), participation in organized sports is on the rise overall, as is an increase in school sports injuries. Be prepared when your son or daughter hits the turf, court, or track this school year with the following youth sports injury statistics and information.

Youth Sports Injury Statistics

An increase in sports play throughout the nation’s schools has led to some eye-opening statistics regarding the risks of participating in school sports. Consider:

• Each year, more than 3.5 million children under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries.
• Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40% of all sports-related injuries treated in hospitals. Generally, the rate and severity of injury increases with a child’s age.
• High school athletes account for approximately 2 million injuries, 500,000 doctor visits, and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.
• Injuries associated with participation in sports and recreational activities account for 21% of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States.
• Overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students.
• Although 62% of organized sports-related injuries occur during practice, one-third of parents don’t require their children to take the same safety precautions during practice that they do during a game.

As a final note, according to the CDC, more than half of all sports injuries in children are preventable, which means in over 50% of cases, negligence or recklessness could have caused or contributed to the injury—for which someone may be held accountable. Courts have recognized numerous areas of potential liability in the context of organized athletic events, including but not limited to preparticipation physicals and screening examinations, adequate facilities and the availability of adequate medical equipment, providing adequate training, diagnosis and treatment of injuries, return-to-play medical decisions, informed consent, and inadequate certifications/training/supervision of coaches, teachers, athletic trainers, and others.

Speak with an Experienced California Personal Injury Lawyer in Whittier

If your child was injured while participating in a school sport or other recreational activity, your family may be entitled to compensation for your losses and damages, even if you signed a waiver of liability. For more information, please contact Hanning & Sacchetto, a personal injury law firm in Whittier, CA, and set up a free initial consultation. You have nothing to lose by meeting with an experienced personal injury lawyer, but plenty of answers, information, and guidance to gain.