CHICAGO SPORTS INJURY ATTORNEY CAUTIONS CHEERLEADERS TO INCREASE SAFETY IN THEIR SPORT
Cheerleading causes more serious injuries than other sports.
Researchers have long known how dangerous cheerleading is, but historically, records were poorly kept. An update to the record-keeping system last year found that between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes, with the vast majority (67) occurring in cheerleading. The next most dangerous sports: gymnastics (nine such injuries) and track (seven).
Recently, the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill released its 26th annual report on the topic. The latest figures are from the 2007-2008 academic year for college and high school sports, male and female. The report defines catastrophic injuries as any severe or fatal injury incurred during participation in the sport.
The new numbers are for the 26-year period from the fall of 1982 through the spring of 2008:
- There were 1,116 direct catastrophic injuries in high school (905) and college sports (211).
- High school sports were associated with 152 fatalities, 379 non-fatal injuries and 374 serious injuries. College sports accounted for 22 fatalities, 63 non-fatal injuries and 126 serious injuries.
- Cheerleading accounted for 65.2 percent of high school and 70.5 percent of college catastrophic injuries among all female sports.
Fortunately, the number of cheerleading injuries fell slightly in the 2007-08 academic year. Hopefully, an increase in awareness and safety measures will continue to decrease the number of injuries related to cheerleaders and high school and college athletes, in general.
Jeffrey J. Kroll is a Chicago attorney specializing in sports injury cases. Jeffrey Kroll obtained a $12,500,000 settlement on behalf of a high school football player who was rendered a quadriplegic after he came into contact with a steel post lacking padding that was located near the sideline of the practice field. Contact us today to help you or your loved one.
