Autumn is a season when local high school stadium seats are filled with cheering fans as football players attempt to achieve victories for their teams. Parents, friends and other community members enjoy supporting high school athletics. However, one game in Texas recently ended in tragedy after a player had to be hospitalized. Could a fatal spinal cord injury be to blame?
Five football players in the country died in 2014 as a result of injuries sustained in high school football games. The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research reported that another six players died from causes indirectly associated with the sport. One medical director said that an average of three deaths per year has occurred over the past 10 years that were directly attributed to high school football.
Facing the untimely death of a child is tragic for parents, school faculty members, friends and loved ones. If a football player survives a spinal cord injury, his life will most likely be wrought with tremendous challenges as he undergoes ongoing medical care and physical therapy, as well as attempts to adapt to a drastically different lifestyle. For athletes who held high hopes of playing college or professional sports, such an injury can have devastating consequences.
Parents who have a child who has survived a spinal cord injury or another serious injury resulting from high school football in Texas can take some comfort in knowing that there is legal help available. An experienced personal injury lawyer can help parents identify all possible sources of liability related to their child’s injuries. He or she can also guide parents through the process of filing a legal claim in a civil court, so they can seek compensation for related losses.
Source: fox6now.com, “Just a great, great kid:” Texas high school football player dies after game injury”, Oct. 18, 2015