TAKE A BREAK!
Sports Concussions Can Have Permanent Effects DROPPING THE BALL ON CHILDREN’S SAFETY Most parents now realize that football is dangerous. But they expect school officials and athletic trainers to have their children’s best interests at heart and look after them when they’re out on the field. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case, and the consequences can be tragic. While all sports pose risks, high school football is the most likely to result in a concussion, accounting for 44% of all cases. A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and occurs when a blow to the head jolts a person’s brain. The brain can move around the skull, causing bruising, bleeding, or nerve damage. A person with a concussion will often become confused, disoriented, and forgetful. They also frequently experience nausea, sensitivity to light, severe headaches, and a lack of coordination, among other symptoms. Concussions also have emotional effects, sometimes causing mood swings, irritability, or depression. Thankfully, most concussions resolve with time and rest, but repeated concussions and failure to seek treatment can cause permanent brain damage. That was the case for one middle school football player named Logan Wood. In 2016, 14-year-old Logan was playing a middle school football game when he sustained a concussion. Instead of receiving adequate assessment and treatment, officials allowed him to continue playing. Experts later determined that Logan suffered at least two but possibly as many as seven concussions during the game, resulting in post-concussive syndrome. Unfortunately, the middle school’s insurance company denied liability and did not even agree to cover Logan’s medical bills, so Evans Moore Law represented Logan in court, where a jury awarded him $850,000 for his injuries. The jury found the school negligent by not requiring a designated athletic trainer for the visiting team. Further, the trainer responsible for assessing players failed to do so, virtually ignoring the away team. While the verdict will help Logan pay for ongoing medical care, he is disqualified from the military career he intended to pursue and will face lifelong effects of his injuries. Cases like Logan’s remind us that people often find it challenging to recognize when they have a concussion and advocate for themselves — especially children. Knowing the symptoms is crucial to assess when someone else may have a concussion and seek medical assistance. That’s particularly true for parents watching their children on the sidelines of any sport. We should be able to trust athletic trainers to take care of our kids, but we are often our children’s best defense.
SOLUTION ON PAGE 4
NEW LAW PROTECTS VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Poisoned at Camp Lejeune
From Aug. 1, 1953, to Dec. 31, 1987, the water at Camp Lejeune — a United States Marine Corps base near Jacksonville, North Carolina — was contaminated with toxic chemicals. It’s estimated that more than 1 million people have been affected by the dangerous chemicals contaminating the water. Recently, the Senate passed the Camp Lejeune Justice Act (CLJA) of 2022, which allows victims and their families to seek legal compensation for the harm they’ve experienced due to the contaminated water. Evans Moore is honored to advocate on behalf of the military men and women, families, and civilians who worked and lived on base. If you know someone who suffered an injury or illness due to the toxic chemicals in Camp Lejeune’s drinking water, please let them and their family know we are here to help.
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