Parents file 2 suits after football player dies of brain injury
Football can be a dangerous sport, and when a player is injured, adequate procedures are expected to be followed. The parents of a 16-year-old who lost his life after a brain injury sustained during a football game are taking civil action in a state near Virginia. The parents claim that proper procedures were not followed when their son was injured, which ultimately caused his death.
The boy was a running back on his high school football team. On September 13, 2013, he was tackled during the game, and by the third quarter he was unconscious. The parents claim that the boy suffered at least one concussion during the game, and possibly more; however, the coaches allegedly kept playing him instead of taking him off the field as soon as the injury occurred.
Eventually, the boy was called to the bench, but he ultimately collapsed during the third quarter. The parents claim that there was not only no proper medical personnel available, but also the officials would not allow an emergency response vehicle to be driven up to the boy for fear of damaging the field. The boy lost his life three days after the game.
The parents have filed two separate civil suits. While both suits claim essentially the same damages for the boy’s fatal brain injury, one suit lists the boy’s school district as the defendant, and the other lists the two schools who were playing against each other as the defendants. If someone is forced to undergo an experience similar to this one in Virginia, that person may be able to take similar legal action.
Source: usatodayhss.com, “Parents of H.S. Football Player File Lawsuit Over Son’s Death“, Dave McKinley, Nov. 3, 2014