A traumatic brain injury occurs when there is a severe bump, jolt, or blow to the head. The effects can be mild — but traumatic brain injuries also account for 30 percent of all injury-related deaths. Sports are one of the main contributors to TBIs, leading to a lot of wrongful death incidents.
Falls account for the majority of traumatic brain injuries. There is an inherent risk of injury when a parent signs his or her child up for sports, but many parents do not even consider that they may need to hire a lawyer. Even if death is not involved, a lot of serious head injury cases involve a lawyer because a TBI can impact an individual for life.
Unfortunately, in Salt Lake City, wrongful death cases due to head injuries are quite common, in part due to the popularity of snow sports. While helmets are necessary in preventing traumatic brain injury, not all ski instructors mandate their clients wear them. There can be a lot of unmarked hazards on the ski run that could cause someone to fall as well.
High school football athletes are at a high risk of traumatic brain injuries as well because they haven’t yet learned how to tackle correctly. Because of this, coaches in Salt Lake City are striving to properly teach safe contact skill development. Hockey is another dangerous sport in terms of traumatic brain injury, as falls on the ice are common.
One of the best ways to prevent wrongful death and severe brain injuries is to enroll in programs with qualified coaches. Many parents in Salt Lake City love to volunteer their time to coach, but they do not know how to correctly teach athletes how to absorb shock and tackle safely. Even with an expert coach, athletes should still be monitored.
Coaches often push their athletes and encourage athletes to return to the sport quickly after a head injury. Contact a lawyer if you or your child is being forced to participate too soon after a traumatic brain injury because further injuries can ensue, including coma and even death.