Sports are an excellent source of sun, social engagement, and exercise for kids and adults. Similarly, there carry certain risks in participating in recreational sports. Several injuries like traumatic brain injuries and concussions can occur.
This post has explained the main things about recreational sports, the possible injuries, and your legal rights. You should contact a Spokane injury attorney if you are injured in a sports activity.
Things you should know about sports injuries and concussions.
Injuries to the head are very serious safety concerns in every sport, especially football, basketball, hockey, or soccer. Around two to four million sustain injuries while playing sports in the US. The exact figure is not reported as not every injury is reported widely.
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Head injuries require immediate medical attention.
A concussion always requires medical attention. Traumatic Brain Injuries are challenging to diagnose and often occur with a delayed onset. Furthermore, the injured person can manifest themselves in different ways depending on the severity and injury of the blow. Any individual sustaining severe head injury must receive proper medical care. Common symptoms of concussion are mentioned below.
- Light-headedness
- Headaches
- Vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
- Pressure in the head
- Nausea
- Pupil dilation
- Memory loss
- Long-term brain injury in a serious matter
Long-term brain injury is a serious concern–especially if the person has repeated concussions or sustained previous subconcussive impacts to the head. Athletes–especially the young ones- need time to recover from a concussion.
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Risk assumption and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
Every sport carries risks. But it does not mean that bringing an injury claim for a sports-related injury is impossible. But there are some challenges. The claimant will have to deal with the state’s assumption of the legal risk principle. Assumption of risk happens when a person engages in an activity with known risk.
If a concussion occurs due to inherent risk associated with the sport, the injured individual cannot have a viable legal claim. For example, a person in a hockey league suffers a concussion during an accidental, but a routine collision does not have a claim. Athletes do not assume every risk when playing sports. If they sustain brain injury due to the negligence of another party, they might be able to have a valid legal claim. If you or someone suffered a severe brain injury, an experienced injury attorney can help review your case, inform you about your legal options and navigate the legal claim process.
