Founder and Managing Partner
If you have a child, it is likely that they are involved in some sort of athletic activity, whether through school or some other recreational sporting club. Sports are a great way for kids to stay healthy, learn valuable social skills, practice commitment and discipline, and have fun. However, they also pose incredible personal injury risks for our children.
The Stanford Children’s Health Hospital estimates that 3.5 million children are injured while playing sports every year, and that roughly one-third of childhood injuries are caused by sports. Further, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has more detailed and more shocking statistics which detail the prevalence of injuries in certain types of sports every year:
- Basketball. More than 170,000 children aged 5 to 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for basketball-related injuries.
- Baseball and softball. Nearly 110,000 children aged 5 to 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for baseball-related injuries. Baseball also has the highest fatality rate among sports for children ages 5 to 14, with three to four children dying from baseball injuries each year.
- Football. Almost 215,000 children aged 5 to 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for football-related injuries.
- Ice hockey. More than 20,000 children aged 5 to 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for ice hockey-related injuries.
- Skateboarding. More than 66,000 children aged 5 to 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for skateboarding-related injuries.
- Soccer. About 88,000 children aged 5 to 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for soccer-related injuries.
Sometimes these injuries are minor, but as the data above details, a startling number of children’s sports related injuries are not. Broken bones, torn ligaments and muscles, concussions and other traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries are unfortunately common injuries suffered by athletic children. These injuries are, of course, harmful by themselves but can cause particular harm to our children as they occur during fundamental years when they are growing physically and mentally.
If your child has suffered a serious sports injury and you know or have strong reason to believe it was caused partially or entirely by faulty equipment or insufficient supervision or preparation, our skilled personal injury attorneys are ready to help you and your child get the compensation you deserve for your suffering. These injuries can have lasting lifelong implications, and compensation can make the difference between your child receiving critical treatment that enables them to recover or them being hampered by this injury for the rest of their life.
Our attorneys will begin by asking you and your child to review the facts of your situation. We will conduct a thorough review of any evidence, including any possible witnesses, to identify evidence that demonstrates protective equipment failed or that those who conducted the athletic event failed in their duty of care—basically, their responsibility to take steps to protect young participants from harm and to provide them with prompt medical care if they are injured.
If your child was injured during a sporting event, contact J&Y Law immediately to learn about your options. Our experienced personal injury attorneys are ready to help you and your child get the compensation you deserve to make sure they have a healthy, happy future.