Youth Sports Injuries

Schools across America take pride in their youth sports programs. Students from elementary school through high school participate in sports. Many children will start at a young age, and then later proceed onward to higher levels of athletics. Popular sports in the U.S. for children and teens include hockey, soccer, and football. Unfortunately, these higher contact sports can make your child vulnerable to serious injury. Imagine being the parent of a child who takes a big hit in a hockey or football game. When you see your child hit the ground, ice, turf, or whatever surface they play on, a pang of worry is sure to shoot into your heart.

Most adolescent sports leagues take the safety of their players very seriously. Mandates on mouth guards, helmets, and pads are the standard; while a number of leagues now try to limit aggressive physical contact for younger ages. Lawsuits have been popping up all over the country in recent years in an attempt to promote good safety practices on the field.

Negligence on the Field

How does negligence affect young players on the field? Sometimes the very nature of a sport is prone to cause injury. However, even in a brutal sport like football or hockey, negligence on the part of the league or even other players can occur. Some forms include:

• Egregiously Aggressive Conduct: When a player acts to aggressively toward another and causes an injury, this can be considered negligent, and may even be purposeful. Many will claim that getting hurt is part of the game; however, when a player behaves recklessly and injures another as a result, chances are this injury could have been avoided.
• Failure to Uphold Safety Regulation: Many leagues for both youths and adults have certain safety regulations in place which require the use of proper safety equipment. The use of helmets, pads, and other equipment can prevent a number of serious injuries. If your child’s league doesn’t uphold and enforce proper safety regulations, they may be negligent.
• Failure to Supervise Properly: In high-contact sports, injuries can occur at any second. Supervision from a coach or official is absolutely necessary to help prevent players from getting hurt or recklessly injuring others. An unsupervised scrimmage or game can be seen as negligent.
• Poor Coaching: Coaches should be training their players to stay safe on the field. This means urging players to utilize contact techniques that are less likely to cause injury, and limit the chances of resulting in concussion or broken limbs.
• Failure to Treat Injury: If a player does get injured on the field, it may not be apparent at first. Many players will get a concussion without even knowing it. It is up to the coach and officials to look for signs of injury or concussion and pull the player from the game if they detect anything serious.

Youth sports injuries are common, especially in sports with higher levels of contact. If you or your child has been injured on the field, and you believe you are entitled to compensation for those injuries, contact our offices today.