Connecticut Injury Attorney Blog

A former high school football linebacker has settled a lawsuit against the school district where he used to play for $4.4 million. Scott Eveland, now 22 years old, suffered traumatic brain injury during a 2007 game that left him confined to a wheelchair, able to communicate only through a specially-designed computer keyboard or iPad. He had previously settled a suit against the company that manufactured his helmet. His suit against the school district alleged negligence on the part of coaching staff for ignoring or failing to recognize his injuries prior to the game.

On September 14, 2007, Eveland reportedly asked the school's athletic trainer if he could sit out the first quarter of a game, complaining of a severe headache that had already caused him to miss some practice. A student trainer who claimed to be present testified at a deposition in 2010 that she heard the trainer relay the request to the coach, and heard the coach respond, using an expletive, that only he would decide who would or would not play in the game. In deposition testimony, both the coach and the trainer denied having this conversation.

Eveland started the game, but only played for thirty minutes before collapsing on the field. After he was rushed to the hospital, he required emergency surgery to remove part of his skull. He spent several weeks recovering in the hospital, but unfortunately the bleeding in his brain had caused excessive damage. He can only communicate by typing on a specialized keyboard, and he requires help supporting his elbow to do that.

Continue reading "Former High School Football Player Reaches $4.4 Million Settlement with School District Over 2007 Head Injury" »

The death of a young baseball player in Illinois has demonstrated the need for comprehensive data on youth sports injuries. Extensive data are available for high school and collegiate sports, but not for participants in sports who are younger than high school age even though they face many of the same risks of injuries. In addition to injuries from accidents and ordinary game play, children face the risk of injury from faulty or defective athletic equipment, particularly protective gear.

A 12 year-old baseball player from Oswego, Illinois died on April 12, 2012 due to an injury sustained during a game. Eric Lederman was warming up on the side of the field, playing catch with a teammate. The ball reportedly struck him in the neck, hitting his carotid artery. He collapsed immediately, and was taken to the hospital. Doctors pronounced him dead shortly after 8:00 p.m. that night. They ruled the death an accident, the result of head trauma causing a cerebral hemorrhage.

Lederman had played baseball for five years, including three years with the league's traveling team. He played center field, third base, and catcher. He was reportedly warming up for the catcher position at the time of the accident. A league spokesperson did not know if he was wearing protective gear, or if it would have made any difference if he were. The league has reviewed its safety regulations in response to Lederman's death, and they have conducted a safety inspection of all their equipment.

Continue reading "Few Resources Available to Track Sports Injuries Among Young Athletes" »

The big news this summer in the field of concussions and brain injuries was the lawsuit commenced in July by 75 former professional football players against the NFL alleging the league knew as early as the 1920s of the harmful effects of concussions on players' brains, but concealed the information from players, coaches, trainers and others until June 2010.

However, less well known is the quiet impact that Connecticut's student athlete concussion law, effective July 2010, has had on the safety of high school football players.

Among other requirements, the law requires interscholastic and intramural coaches in Connecticut to take a course on concussions. One of the key goals is to teach coaches how to identify the symptoms of a concussion after a player takes a hit to head, and to determine whether the player should be pulled from the game.

Continue reading "Connecticut Student Athlete Concussion Law Has Coaches Taking Courses on Head Injuries" »