Child Injury Lawyer Blog
By Will Lewis, Attorney and David Wolf, Attorney
Published by Child Injury Lawyer Network
Rock climbing and wall climbing are very popular activities for children. When participating in these activities, safety is a must. The wall should be securely anchored and all children should wear harnesses. In addition, adult supervision is key to keeping children safe. It is well known that children do not always appreciate the dangers of a particular activity. As such, adult supervision is necessary not only for instruction but also to make sure that children do not venture into areas or stunts that can lead to serious personal injuries.
The parents of Ryan Spence, a youth football player, are suing the North Texas Football Association, an affiliated association and two coaches. According to a report in the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, the complaint alleges that in November 2008, Ryan’s football coach swung a tackling dummy toward Ryan’s legs during a drill in order to teach the players how to avoid illegal blocks. The suit also alleges that the dummy hit Ryan’s left leg and injured his knee. Ryan was 10-years-old at the time of the alleged incident and has since had two surgeries on his knee.
Parents walk a tight rope between encouraging their children to play competitive sports and pushing their children too far so as to turn them away from sports entirely. Coaches and parents play a key role in a child’s future regarding sports.
In Ohio and other States, child are the unfortunate victims of corporal punishment that is both senseless and excessive. In addition, corporal punishment can and does lead to serious personal injuries to children. In Norwood, Ohio, Fox 19 News reported that a man was arrested when he dragged a six year old boy by a football facemask. The incident was actually witnessed by a police officer according to the news story. The adult, Charles Robinson – age 41, now will be facing a criminal charge of endangering children. See 
Scientists, who have conduct recent research, funded in part by the NFL, say they have found evidence that connects head injuries in athletes to a condition that mimics Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The University of Michigan released a survey on Monday that revealed parents of school and youth athletes are highly unaware of the risks associated with sports-related concussions. However, these same parents support policies to minimize the dangers of concussions. Almost two-thirds of parents of athletes ages 12-17 worry their children will suffer from a concussion, but fewer than 1 in 10 have read or are knowledgeable about the topic. Most alarming, was that 50% or more parents said they knew other parents or coaches would place a child back into activity soon after suffering from a concussion.
A 3-year-old girl was struck by line drive ball at a Dodgers baseball games. The ball was hit by Dodgers player Russell Martin during batting practice at Dodger Stadium. The child sustained a skull fracture from the line drive and was rushed to the first-aid station by her father. According to the Associated Press, a Dodgers spokesperson said the girl was scheduled for surgery at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, her injuries were not life threatening. Martin expressed sympathy and concern for the child and offered to pay for the medical expenses. To read more about this accident see 
When addressing playground safety issues, I thought it would be interesting to post an article from a child’s point of view. My 11 year old daughter provided me with the following article on Playground Safety:
San Luis Obispo County, California high school and doctors are using a program to help doctors and coaches better manage student athletes with concussions. The program provides brain testing for student athletes BEFORE there is an injury or concussion. With this baseline testing in place, doctors are better able to determine the objective effects of a concussion after the injury takes place. A similar program is in effect for the National Football League.