How Common Are Spinal Cord Injuries In Football?

Football is one of the most beloved sports all over the world, which means many boys play the game from a very young age, through high school and into college. A lucky few may even go on to play football professionally. While football is generally safe, injuries do occur and sometimes produce catastrophic injuries. Below is an overview of personal injury law and how it relates to football injuries. If your loved one has been hurt in a football accident, consider speaking with a Corpus Christi spinal cord injury lawyer for advice.

Injury Statistics

According to the Center For Disease Control or CDC, approximately 1.1 million high school and 75,000 college athletes compete in contact football in the United States each year. Because football is a collision sport serious injuries such as brain and spinal cord injuries are frequent and can be serious or even fatal. Statistics compiled by the Center For Disease Control from 2005-2014 found that 24 high school players and 4 college players died as a result from traumatic spinal cord injuries after being tackled. This study also showed the majority of spinal cord injuries during football games were the result of head down tackles. This signals a need for improved coaching regarding safe tackling for all players to reduce the number of football related injuries.

Types Of Injuries

Football related injuries can vary from mild to devastating. The extent of these injuries depends largely upon the area in which the spinal cord was damaged and to what extent the damage is. Some spinal cord injuries can lead to total paralysis of the arms, trunk, hands, legs and feet. Others may cause partial paralysis upon voluntary movement of these limbs.

If your loved one has been injured or died as a result of a football injury, it may benefit you to speak with a Corpus Christi spinal cord injury lawyer. The experts at J. Reyna Law Firm serve the Corpus Christi area and are ready to assist you with your claim.