Top 5 Things Parents Can Do To Ensure The Safety Of Their High School Athlete

Recently a high school football coach was acquitted in the death of one of his young players who died from heat stroke while the team was forced to run sprints in the summer heat. The boy collapsed at practice and then died from heat stroke, sepsis, and organ failure. At one point, the boy's temperature rose as high as 107.

The coach was charged criminally and the case went to trial. The prosecution alleged that the coach made the kids run grueling sprints as a form of punishment for their lack of effort in an earlier practice when the heat index was 94. More than one of the boys fell ill from the exercises. However, some players testified that they only ran a few more sprints than was normal. Three classmates and the boy's stepmother testified that the young man told them he was feeling sick on the day of his death. Defense medical experts opined that a combination of the dietary supplement creatine, the medication Adderall, and illness were the main contributors to his death.

The exact cause of his death may never truly be known. Was his coach to blame? The jury didn't think so after hearing both sides. In a wrongful death civil lawsuit the boy's family will have a greater chance of success because the elements of the lawsuit are different than in the criminal context, and the burden of proof is lower."

Despite the technicalities of the evidence and trial, I read this story with a heavy heart as a father, not as a lawyer. Soon my children will want to participate in sports at their school and it got me thinking: How safe are high school athletics? Is this young man's death an anomaly in the big picture? The reality is that while high school athletics are generally safe, the students who participate are at an increased risk for personal injury.

According to the High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study which was funded by the Center for Disease Control, in 2005-06, the overall injury rate in all sports was 2.44 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures. Football had the highest injury rate (4.36 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures) followed by wrestling (2.50), boys' (2.43) and girls' (2.36) soccer, and girls' basketball (2.01). Boy's baseball, softball, volleyball, and basketball all had injury rates below 2.0 injuries per 1,000 athlete exposures. In each of the nine sports monitored, approximately 80% of the reported injuries were new injuries as opposed to recurrences or complications from previous injuries. Severity of injury, as measured by days lost from play, varied by sport. Overall, approximately half of the injuries reported resulted in 7 days lost. Fortunately, no deaths were reported.

The statistics speak for themselves. Parents need to be vigilant about their children's safety. As a father, as an attorney, as a participant in my community, the potential for injury is enough for me to urge all parents with high school athletes to observe the following 5 tips to ensure their child's safety.

1. Most importantly, all children should undergo a complete and thorough physical examination at the beginning of every school year, and especially before starting any scholastic sports.

2. Know the coaching staff of your child's team. Go to practices if that is allowed, get involved with the team, make friends with other player's parents. It is critical to know how other children are doing on the team and what their experiences are with the coach.

3. Be sure to ask your child athlete how he or she is feeling frequently. As their guardian you should know every injury and every illness your child experiences. If your instincts tell you something is wrong, refer to rule #1.

4. Make sure your child has proper and new equipment. Don't skimp and always immediately replace equipment that is damaged.

5. If there is a problem, you must know who at the school to contact, and not be afraid to do so. This includes school officials, athletic directors, and a personal injury attorney for legal advice.