What should you do to prevent sports injuries?
A personal injury has the potential to change your life, but what if your life is only just beginning? Imagine being 5, 6 or even 7years old when you suffer a preventable injury that affects the way your memory works or how you walk. It could be devastating for your entire life.
When children participate in sports, personal injuries are real concerns. In most cases, parents sign waivers that release teams from responsibility in the case that something goes wrong during the course of a normal game or practice. If there is negligence or mistreatment of a child, though, that waiver does not apply.
How can you make sure your child is as safe as possible on his or her sports team?
First, take steps to be there. There is a much lower chance of your child being harassed, injured or mistreated by others if you are there to monitor the coaching and training of your child.
Next, make sure your child has properly fitting protective gear. In soccer, for instance, your child needs appropriate shin guards to make sure cleats don’t end up digging into bare skin on a kick. If the sport requires a helmet or protective goggles, get the best you can find for your child, so he or she is as safe as possible.
Another thing to do is to make sure your child understands the rules of the game and that players are following them. If you begin to see children who are becoming violent or aggressive, it is better to pull your child out of the game temporarily than to watch an incident take place that puts him or her into the hospital. If that does happen, look into your rights. Any violation that shows negligence could mean you have a right to a lawsuit.
Source: KidsHealth, “Five Ways to Avoid Sports Injuries,” accessed Sep. 06, 2017