Unanchored Portable Soccer Goal Causes Fatality

Third-grader, Juan Escalera, 9 dies after soccer goal falls on him causing brain trauma.  It is unclear as to what caused the goal to fall while Juan and his cousins were playing soccer after church in Sampson County, NC. 

There have been 36 deaths in the U.S. since 1979 from portable soccer goals falling.  Goals should be held down with stakes or sand bags as they can weigh up to 500lbs. 

Click here to see our prior blog and video on this topic “Video Explains Soccer Goal Tip Over Hazards”

Source: WRAL Local News

SC Supreme Court Rules Softball Contact Sport

In March 2004, Jeff Wagner left work and joined a father-son pickup softball game during a Boy Scout camping trip.  During the game Wagner and another father, David Cole collided which left Wagner with a broken rib.  Cole suffered a head wound, went into convulsions, then spent a couple of days in intensive care.  Personal distress and injury led Cole and his son to sue the church, the Boy Scouts and Wagner. 

“While Cole was playing a casual game in which the teams did not even keep score, he was still playing softball, which is a contact sport,” the SC Supreme Court wrote in Monday’s opinion. “Where a person chooses to participate in a contact sport, whatever the level of play, he assumes the risks inherent in that sport.”

Source: Insurance Journal 2011

PA School District Sued By Ex-Football Player Over Concussions

A Pennsylvania school district is being sued by a former student who received three concussions in games during the 2007 football season. Zachary Alt, 19, has to deal with symptoms, including memory problems and nausea, stemming from brain injuries after being told by the coaching staff to continue in games without being properly diagnosed. He was never removed from the games, but after the last concussion, he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury at a hospital.

Source: Insurance Journal, April 4, 2011.

ASA Softball Takes Steps To Protect Players Against Hot Bats

Check out the link below for an interesting Q & A from ASA Softball on how they are addressing the issue of hot bats with their bat testing protocol. The article discusses compression testing performed in the field by ASA personnel, lab testing, non approved bat lists, and Track Man Doppler radar to test batted ball speeds under actual field conditions. 

Bat Testing ASA

Source: SODA special report on ASA Press Release, April 2011

New State Laws On Sports Concussions Protect And Increase Liability

“A Washington State law that mandates strict procedures for handling youth athletes’ concussions has served as a template for similar policies. It has helped shape laws in several other states….”

“Modern guidelines state that athletes of all ages and in all sports, after sustaining a concussion, should not return to play until they display no symptoms (like dizziness, headaches, nausea or sensitivity to light or sound) both before and after gradually increasing physical exertion. It is less known that students feeling symptoms should be advised not to tax their cognitive function by playing video games or even studying too hard.”

“Another player’s mother, who asked the Sequim School District to begin a baseline neuropsychological testing program — which can assist in evaluating when a player has recovered and can return to play — was told that such testing, “due to liability and legal issues, is not recommended either by the insurance provider” or the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.”

“If you purchase the program, you better be using it consistently and properly, because if you don’t, that opens up liability,” Linville said. “If you don’t own it at all, then you do not have that liability, and you are not responsible.”

The national media has recently covered high profile lawsuits involving serious injuries and deaths resulting from players returning to action too soon after a concussion and suffering a second, serious or fatal injury. In addition, studies on NFL athletes have highlighted concerns over the long term effects of repeated concussions.

A number of groups have recently lobbied congress and state legislatures for the passage of concussion protection laws such as the one referenced in the article. Many experts are trying to set new standards for more advanced concussion care, which includes a pre season neuropsychological cognitive test to establish a baseline for comparison after a concussion. It is believed that comparing the post injury test to the pre injury baseline is the best way to determine appropriate return to play protocol.

However, such testing can cost up to $10.00 per athlete and requires administrative scheduling and expense. In addition, once a sports organization adopts any safety standard, failure to fully implement can result in liability. 

The testing normally involves hiring a firm to bring in computer equipment with specialized software to a pre determined location to administer testing for all program athletes that can take up to 30 minutes per athlete. 

The debate and discussion on the topic of sports concussions and return to play protocol will result in better educated medical professionals, coaches, trainers, and parents. 

I recommend that you read the New York Times article in its entirety.

Source: The New York Times

Video Explains Soccer Goal Tip Over Hazards

I came across a fantastic CBS News video that explains exactly how soccer goals tip over and kill at least 1 child per year and injure around 200. Soccer goals can weigh up to several hundred pounds and cause catastrophic damage (ex: crush skulls and legs) when they tip over and come in contact with players. Coaches, players, and parents need to be educated on this topic and should check soccer goals prior to every practice to make sure they are properly anchored.

Sports General Liability insurance carriers that insure soccer organizations must often absorb full policy limit lawsuits resulting from these death claims.

Video