There are many reasons a parent may encourage their child to play sports but there are also dangers involved. While sports can help keep kids physically fit and healthy, more than 3.5 million children 14 years old and younger are injured while playing sports each year. About 775,000 of these injuries are serious enough that the victim ends up in the emergency room.
While football head injuries are the most common type of sports-related injuries, they are certainly not the only ones. Other dangerous sports including soccer and basketball. There are many bike accidents each year as well.
Get Medical Help Right Away
If your child is injured in a sports match then you should take said child to the ER as soon as possible. Even if your child says they feel fine and that they do not have symptoms, we still recommend having them checked out. Remember that some symptoms can take hours of even days to show up. You do not want to skip the hospital only to find out later that evening that your child has had a brain bleed the entire time.
Get the Facts About What Happened
Do not ask your child too many questions immediately after the accident – let them recover form the shock first. When it is time, ask them what they remember about the accident. Who was involved in it, how it happened ,who saw it, and whether there was a member of the coaching staff present. Then ask your child if anyone at the location did anything to help them after the accident.
If there were witnesses, get contact information if possible and contact them to find out what they saw. The more information you gather, the better your chances will be of finding out what really happened and taking appropriate steps to hold the at-fault parties accountable.
Talk to the Coaches
Unless you have reason to believe that there was criminal behavior, you will then want to talk to the coaching staff. Find out who was supposed to be supervising the children when the accident happened and what said person did after the accident. If you signed a consent form, get a copy of it and see if it has specific information on how injuries are supposed to be handled.
Talk to an Attorney So You Can Focus on Your Child’s Recovery
As the parent of an injured child, your top priority is now to ensure that your child is as safe and healthy as possible. If you are worried about dealing with insurance companies, doctors, etc., then you may not be able to focus on what really matters. On the other hand, when you work with The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker we can take care of this for you. Contact us now at 800-333-0000 and we will be happy to begin with a free legal consultation.
