Litigation

More support for school sport concussion legislation

By Michael Kaplen

The New York Times carries a story in today's edition, States Taking the Lead Addressing Concussionsreporting on events scheduled to take place during next week's Super Bowl to promote state legislative initiatives to curtail the risk of concussions in school sports.

As part of the Super Bowl festivities, there will be an event sponsored by the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation in support of legislation in each and every state to regulate the conduct of coaches and trainers and mandate that athletes who have sustained a concussion be immediately removed from play and kept out of play until medically cleared to return.  As a member of the legal advisory board of the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation, I am pleased to support the foundation's efforts.

Last year Washington and Oregon passed the first concussion-specific laws covering scholastic sports. Each mandated education for coaches, immediate removal from play of any athlete suspected of a concussion in a game or practice and proper medical clearance before that athlete could return. Washington?s in particular ? named after Zackery Lystedt, a teenager who in 2006 sustained a serious brain injury playing football ? is a template for other states formulating similar legislation.

Tomorrow, Congress is scheduled to hold further hearings in Houston Texas and examine proposals to curtail the crisis of concussions in all sports. 

Full post as published by Brain Injury News and Information on January 31, 2010 (boomark / email).