Articles Tagged with Northern California sports injury lawyer

Californians love adventure.  From extreme sports like skateboarding to adventure sports like zip lining and kayaking, countless people live in and visit California because they enjoy a thrill.  While an element of risk is almost a requirement for these activities, adventurers should also be able to trust that the companies that market these thrills are taking steps to ensure participants are kept safe.  People who’ve suffered an extreme sports or adventure sports injury (and families left with a void after a death) should not assume they are without recourse.  Our San Francisco recreational injury lawyer can help.

Bay Area Woman Injured in Zip Line Fall

Recently, a vacation adventure turned into a nightmare for a Bay Area woman who was vacationing in Mexico.  According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Cloverdale mom said she was riding a zip line across a forested gorge in Puerto Vallarta when she suddenly began to fall and landed upside down in a tree.  The woman’s husband, fellow travelers, and employees of the zip line company reportedly worked for about thirty minutes before they were able to free her from the branches.  She suffered cable burns, substantial bruising, open wounds, and a possible torn ACL in the incident.

Last week, we wrote about civil claims for recreational and sports injuries in California, including injuries arising during everything from extreme sports to recreational youth teams.  Today, we focus on the two most common defenses in these cases and how our San Francisco/Oakland recreational injury lawyer overcomes them.  Specifically, we look at waivers and the doctrine of assumption of risk in the context of sports injuries and other recreational injury cases.

Express Waivers: They Can Be Overcome

Express waivers are often Defendants’ Exhibit One in recreational injury cases.  Waivers take many forms, including agreements signed by parents enrolling children in youth sports, releases signed by participants in grueling obstacle course races, and even waivers printed on the back of ski lift tickets.  Many people do not even pursue an injury claim because they assume a waiver precludes all legal claim.  This is a mistake.

From the high school field on Friday to cheering on the alma matter at Saturday tailgates and watching the NFL on Sunday, for many Americans, fall means football.  While our own office certainly has its friendly rivalries, we all cheer for athletes of all ages to have success on and off the field.  As a San Francisco sports injury law firm, the Brod Law Firm believes strongly in the benefits of sports.  However, we are also very concerned about some of the dangerous health consequences that may impact professionals, weekend warriors, and young players alike including the risk of long-term brain injury from football.

Study: 96% of Studied Deceased NFL Players’ Brains Test Positive for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

On Saturday, Sports Illustrated (“SI”) reported on the continuing investigation into how repeated head trauma on the football field can impact players for their entire lives.  The article is based on a study by scientists with Boston University and the Department of Veterans Affairs that looked at the brains of deceased athletes.  According to SI, researchers identified chronic traumatic encephalopathy (“CTE”) in 96% (87 of 91) of studied NFL players’ brains footballhelmetand 79% (131 of 165) of all football players’ brains examined during the study including professional, semi-professional, and college players.

cheer1For decades, cheerleaders were about just that – leading cheers.  They played a secondary role, bringing energy to the sidelines, drumming up team spirit, and supporting the athletes on the field.  Today, cheerleading also has a competitive side, requiring mastery of skills from the worlds of gymnastics and dance.  As competitive cheerleading grows in popularity, debates rage about whether to recognize it as a sport in its own right.  This movement is fueled by both the athleticism required for competitive cheerleading and concerns about serious cheerleading injuries.  As a San Francisco sports injury law firm, we are devoted to protecting and advocating for all young athletes, including those fighting to move from the sidelines to center stage.

Bill to Label Cheerleading a Sport Moves to Governor’s Desk

On Monday, as detailed by NBC’s Bay Area affiliate, California’s state senate unanimously voted to require the California Interscholastic Federation to treat competitive cheerleading as a sport.  Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, the bill’s sponsor, says the need for safety-oriented regulations including training requirements for coaches is fueling a nationwide movement to formally recognize the sport.  AB949 will now go to Governor Brown’s desk for his signature or veto.  If passed, the bill would require the change be implemented by the 2017-2018 school year.

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