Sports teach children valuable life skills. They develop physical endurance, enhance self-esteem, and foster school and community pride.
However, youth sports are inherently risky. Children’s bodies are not fully developed and suffering from childhood sports injuries could cause problems in adulthood.
Thankfully, few children incur catastrophic injuries in youth sports. The following offers information about the risk of catastrophic injury in youth sports.
If you need advice about a catastrophic injury claim regarding your child, contact an experienced San Antonio catastrophic injury attorney.
There are three classifications of catastrophic injuries according to The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research in the United States. These classifications are based on their outcomes and are as follows:
The three sports cited as carrying the highest risk for a catastrophic injury are football, cheerleading, and ice hockey.
Sports injuries can happen to anyone of any age, and every sport comes with some level of risk. However, children under 14 are statistically at a greater risk of injury.
Every year over 3.5 million children are injured while playing sports. Nearly a third of all childhood injuries are sports-related.
Some common catastrophic youth sports injuries include:
All of the above injuries can have serious consequences for a child.
In a recent study conducted by The Aguirre Law Firm, PLLC regarding sports-related concussions among high school athletes, it was found that concussions are an incredible area of concern among young athletes. According to the data, boys’ tackle football had the highest number of concussions during the 2021-2022 academic year, with 28,197 concussions in practice and 58,417 concussions in games. The sport with the second most number of concussions for the academic year was girls’ soccer, with 4,852 concussions in practice and 33,881 concussions in games. These numbers only provide a glimpse into the total number of concussions among high school athletes as sports-related concussions are largely underreported.
The National Safe Kids Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics report the following:
Findings from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injuries place youth football at the top of the list for catastrophic injuries in males of all age groups. Youth football players were found to sustain between 136,000 and 300,000 concussions per year. Football players ages 16 to 18 accounted for 29% of all sports-related concussions.
The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injuries cited cheerleading as the leading cause of serious injury among female athletes. Cheerleading is the second highest cause of catastrophic injuries in both men’s and women’s high school sports.
Parents are typically required to sign a waiver before their children participate in youth sports. Waivers are to release the school district or organization from liability for sports accidents and injuries.
Waivers may not release a school district or organization when a child’s injury is caused by negligence, foreseeable acts, or violence outside of what is permissible in the sport.
If your child was catastrophically injured playing youth sports, you may qualify for compensation to pay for medical bills, physical therapy, and other accident-related losses. The catastrophic injury attorneys at The Aguirre Law Firm, PC, can evaluate your situation at no cost and recommend any available legal action.
The Aguirre Law Firm, PC, is a highly successful, peer and client-recommended personal injury firm in San Antonio. We are proud to represent accident victims and their families and hold negligent parties responsible for the pain and suffering they cause.
Reach out to the San Antonio injury lawyers The Aguirre Law Firm, PC, now to schedule your risk-free consultation.
"*" indicates required fields