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The high school football season is coming to an end. However, during the first seven weeks of the football season this year, there were been seven deaths across the nation attributed to blunt-force injuries to the head from tackling. Here are just a few of those tragedies:

• A 17 year-old, died of “blunt force head injuries due to a football accident,” according to the Cook County (Illinois) Medical Examiner’s Office. The senior at Bogan High School hit his head on the final play of the game, walked off the field but later collapsed.

• Another 17 year-old, a wide receiver and defensive back for Evergreen High School near Seattle, died October 12 after suffering a traumatic brain injury during a game the previous Friday after making a hard tackle on a running play.

• A junior linebacker and team captain at Wesleyan Christian School in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, died September 19 after suffering a head injury during a tackle in a game eight days earlier.

According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research (NCCSIR) at the University of North Carolina, in 2014 five high school players died of causes directly related to playing football. Eighty-three percent of the direct fatalities in 2014 were brain injuries, and 16.7 percent were cervical fractures.

What are traumatic brain injuries (TBI)?

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) defines TBI as:

A bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of a TBI may range from “mild” (i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness) to “severe” (i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or memory loss after the injury).  Most TBIs that occur each year are mild, commonly called concussions.

Why such a high number of fatalities?

The NCCSIR reports that the reason for the high number of high school football fatalities compared with college and professional football has to do with numbers. There are about 1.1 million high school football players in the nation, compared with about 100,000 in the NFL, college, junior college, arena football and semiprofessional level.

CNN reported on October 25, 2015 that what makes matters worse is that nearly 70 percent of high school athletes with concussions played despite their symptoms, and 40 percent reported that their coaches did not know of the injury according to the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

What’s being done to prevent more fatalities?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new guidelines Sunday, October 25, 2015 to improve youth football safety.

The AAP reviewed scientific research on the relationship between tackling and football-related injuries. Its findings were that head and neck injuries are usually more severe than injuries to the legs and back, and often they are the result of illegal tackling techniques.

The AAP recommendations include:

• zero tolerance for illegal head-first hits
• having athletic trainers on sidelines of games
• offering non-tackle football games as an alternative

Further AAP recommendations are that coaches should teach and drill the athletes in the proper execution of the fundamental skills, particularly blocking and tackling. Players should keep their heads up while tacking and running with the ball. Initial contact should never be made with the head/helmet or face mask.

“If you or a loved one has been injured in a sports accident because of the negligence on the part of another person, contact the experienced lawyers at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. to determine your rights,” said Attorney Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers Brain Injury Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.