Safety for Cheerleaders and Players
Florida Law Firm Urges Safety For High School Football Players and Cheerleaders
Don't let the fun and excitement of the upcoming high school football season turn into a time of tragedy because of severe head and neck injuries, Florida sports injury attorneys say.
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (PRWEB) August 12, 2010
Players and cheerleaders are returning to practices in August to get ready for another exciting season of Florida high school football. However, studies and statistics show that football players and cheerleaders face a significant risk of suffering severe head and neck injuries.
Without taking proper measures to prevent and respond to these risks, the excitement could give way to tragedy, say sports injury attorneys from the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida personal injury law firm of Gordon & Doner.
"Hopefully, your child will get through a season with nothing more than a few bumps and bruises, but often, serious injuries occur that could have been prevented," says Adam Doner, a founding partner of the firm, which represents personal injury and wrongful death victims and their families throughout south Florida.
"Schools should ensure that football teams and cheerleading squads are adequately equipped, trained and prepared, and that appropriate safety and response measures are in place, including emergency medical equipment and staff," Doner says.
In 2009, an estimated 300,000 football-related concussions occurred in the U.S., and 45,000 football-related head injuries required emergency room treatment, according to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
While football injuries tend to receive publicity, statistics show that cheerleaders also face significant risks. Close to 30,000 cheerleaders required emergency room treatment in the U.S. in 2008 for concussions, spinal cord injuries, broken bones and fractures, dislocations, sprains, strains and blows to the lung and heart, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports.
"Cheerleaders no longer do simple jumps and lead cheers. They now do flips and flying, acrobatic stunts that can be extremely demanding and dangerous and that can cause devastating injuries," says Robert Gordon, also a founding partner of the law firm.
According to the attorneys, preventive steps can be taken in both sports:
- Neither players nor cheerleaders should be allowed to participate without a preseason physical examination, and any student-athletes with prior head or neck injuries should be identified.
- All participants should be provided safety equipment (especially proper-fitting helmets for football and floor mats for cheerleading).
- All participants should go through adequate conditioning and strength training and should be taught proper safety techniques. For example, football players should be taught not to spear or run with their heads down. Cheerleaders should not be allowed to build pyramids past certain heights or perform stunts without spotters.
Even the best preventive measures may not stop a sport-related injury from occurring. When that happens, coaches and staff should be trained in how to respond to injuries, and a certified trainer should be on hand to provide any necessary emergency treatment.
"Parents should also know that, unless all signs and symptoms related to a head and neck injury have been resolved, and they are cleared to return by an independent physician, their children should not be forced into participation by a coach or staff," Gordon says.
About Gordon & Doner
The Florida law firm of Gordon & Doner, with offices in Palm Beach Gardens, Stuart, Delray Beach and Pembroke Pines, has been serving south Florida communities for more than 16 years. The firm's practice areas include personal injury, brain and spinal cord injuries, child injuries and cheerleading accidents. For more information, call the firm at (800) 659-1159 or use the firm's online form.
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