On November 26, 2012, a new ordinance went into effect in the city of Boston. The new ordinance is designed to help reduce the number of concussions suffered by kids who play youth sports and to reduce the potential dangers associated with concussion.
Our Boston sports injury attorneys believe that the new ordinance may go a long way towards helping kids avoid devastating sports injuries. We urge all public and private educational institutes to take note of the new requirements and we encourage parents and kids who play sports to be aware of the new regulations in order to stay safer.
The New Boston Youth Sports Rules and Sports Injuries
According to Fox Boston, thousands of young athletes suffer concussions each year while playing sports. Concussions are dangerous head injuries that can lead to complications including traumatic brain injury, memory problems and mood changes, especially if children suffer repeated concussions. Because of the known-dangers of concussions, lawmakers have now created new regulations aimed to protect kids.
According to the new Boston ordinance, all public and private school sports teams will now have to undergo concussion training and will need to have concussion management procedures in place before children under the age of 18 are permitted to play sports. The concussion training will help staff on youth sports teams to better identify head injuries and potential concussions. Staff members and coaches must receive this head injury training each year, with only visiting teams exempt from attending required annual training.
The new ordinance will also apply to any independent organization that makes use of city-owned facilities for sports practice or sporting events.
The Importance of Protecting Kids from Head Injuries
The new Boston ordinance was passed after five Southbridge children were injured in a Pop Warner football game and suffered concussions. The aim of the requirement is to expand on existing 2010 laws that were designed to protect middle and high school athletes. The training requirements now extend not just to teams with older kids playing sports but to teams with any kids playing sports. The expansion is an important one because any child is vulnerable to suffering a head injury on the field.
Getting treatment immediately is required in cases of serious head injury, and any child who does suffer a concussion needs to be examined and observed by an experienced physician for signs of potential head trauma or complications arising from the concussion. Kids can only get the help they need if the coaches and staff who are supposed to be responsible for them understand how to identify and respond to head injuries.
In certain instances, colleges and schools have been held legally accountable for kids who suffered head injuries during sporting events. When a school or sports organization is considered to have been negligent in fulfilling their obligations to a student athlete, the organization can become responsible for paying all costs associated with the concussion or other injury. These costs can be significant if a child was seriously harmed as a result of the schools failure.
The new ordinance on concussions now imposes an additional obligation on schools to ensure that their staff is trained in concussions. This new ordinance could, therefore, give students and parents greater legal rights to sue when a head injury is overlooked or improperly managed by a coach.
If you have been injured as a result of a slip and fall, contact Sports Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case. Call 877-617-5333.
Additional Resources:
Massachusetts Traffic Watch: Safety Around Snowplows, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, November 23, 2012
Young Girl Injured in New England ATV Accident, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, November 18, 2012