At Sette Law in Sacramento, our personal injury attorneys read an August news report that causes concern for local parents. Two young athletes from Union High School in nearby El Dorado County were hospitalized with serious brain injuries after a weekend game. As Sacramento personal law injury attorneys it is our collective job to monitor the developments involving brain injuries – unfortunately on the rise across the nation and in Sacramento. Personal injury attorneys at Sette Law have families living across our region. It’s only natural that our Sacramento injury law firm attorneys pay special attention to the emerging issue of brain injury and sports. As the Union High incident illustrates, greater safety in high school sports should be a national priority for parents.

At the time this blog was written our personal injury lawyers say that one of the injured boys, Nick Brown, is recovering from serious brain surgery and the outcome of his condition still to be determined. The family has established a Facebook page for updates and also a fund to help with ongoing medical expenses.

Brain Injuries Raise Concern in Sacramento
Personal injury Law attorneys know the lifetime damage that can be caused by a brain injury. Whether because of a sports accident, industrial accident or a Sacramento car crash, injury to the brain often alters a person’s destiny – taking the victim from mainstream to the ranks of the disabled. At Sette Law our Sacramento personal injury attorneys know that, unlike some accident injuries, damage to the brain can effect biological and neurological systems. For example, a Sacramento car crash injury may cause broken bones, lacerations and internal injury that promise to, one day, heal. Recovered victims may be able to return to work or continue to earn a living. But if a brain injury is suffered in a Sacramento car accident, attorneys explain that these injuries can prevent individuals from ever again being fully independent.

 Although brain injuries can and do happen in a variety of circumstances, a recent focus has been on the field of sports. Our Sacramento personal injury attorneys are particularly concerned about this trend because it’s often young people who become victims nationally and in Sacramento. Our personal injury attorneys consulted CDC statistics that show reports of brain concussions have doubled from 2002 to 2012. About 47 percent of these concussions happen in high school football. Soccer and Ice hockey present the next greatest risk of personal injury. Attorneys in Sacramento are aware that our region has also experienced an increase in concussion and traumatic brain injury.

We are aware that there is a national spotlight on this problem, but as Sacramento personal injury law attorneys we urge local parents, coaches and athletic leagues to quickly embrace safety measures, those which become required and those which may be optional, to protect young athletes in Sacramento.
Personal injury law obligates our lawyers to be educated about the details of a wide variety of accidents – from Sacramento car accident injuries, to accidents on private property and even large transportation accidents. However, it’s the devastating effects of TBI on young people that has our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys very concerned. We want to help our community understand the severe consequences of TBI in developing brains and bring enhanced awareness to Sacramento.

Personal Injury Attorneys Grasp medical aspects of TBI
Unlike a Sacramento car crash injury, sports related concussions are often cumulative – there can be several events over time. Our Sacramento personal injury attorneys cite medical experts who report that repeated concussions can lead to a 39 percent greater chance of traumatic brain injury and permanent disability. And, seemingly minor concussions might go unnoticed by coaches and parents in Sacramento. Car crash injury, although dangerous and often severe, is seldom experienced more than once. In addition, brain injuries are often not as visible as Sacramento car accident injuries. Our attorneys explain that, although skin may not be broken, there can easily be bleeding inside the brain.

In addition, our Sacramento personal injury attorneys say that symptoms of a concussion might not immediately be obvious. That’s why is critical that any young athlete receiving a blow to the head get immediate medical attention. Those symptoms include dizziness, inattention, headache, irritability and difficulty with memory. But for families in Sacramento, our personal injury attorneys recommend that youngsters who have experienced a jolt or blow to the head be examined and carefully observed immediately.

Sacramento personal injury law attorneys say the national data indicates that one in five high school athletes will experience a concussion in a single season of play. About thirty-three percent of young athletes reported having two or more concussions within a year and, sadly for young sports participants in Sacramento, personal injury attorneys know that four to five million head injuries happen every year – and kids in middle school are experiencing the greatest increase of head injury.

As Sacramento personal injury attorneys we are obligated to understand the details of brain injury. Whether concussion or TBI happens due to a Sacramento car crash injury or on the football field, the effects on the human brain are the same. The soft-tissue brain is protected by spinal fluid inside the skull. A blow or violent jolt to the head can cause the brain to crash into the skull, harming neural pathways, and the brain itself can swell and bleed. When this happens to young athletes in Sacramento our injury attorneys say that permanent, life altering damage can result.

Of course, prevention of these accidents is a goal encouraged by our Sacramento personal injury law lawyers. Many people are calling for better education for coaches and for improvement of protective equipment. Clearly, there is plenty of room for changes that will make sports safer in Sacramento. Personal injury attorneys point to the many laws that have been passed to protect people in vehicles. Data shows, for example, that Sacramento car crash injuries can be minimized by adhering to seat belt laws – a mandate that was once widely opposed but today saves lives. Our Sacramento personal injury law attorneys support the introduction of new regulations and equipment that will do the same for youth sports.