Where’s The Insurance For Student-Athletes?

If you ever had a child in sports then you know how cute they look in those little uniforms. From baseball to soccer to football, watching your child run around the field is one of the best feelings. It lets you know that they are having fun and really using their whole body potential. If sports run in the family then it is great to see your child continue the legacy. As parents, you do all you can for our children. You make sure they have the top of the line protective gear. You make sure they get to practice on time. You make sure they follow the coach’s order. What you don’t have control over is your child’s time on the field or at practice.

All you can do is leave it up to the coaches, managers, and other players. Our Dallas Sports Injury Attorneys at Law Firm of Dorothy Hyde know all too well that not all coaches, manager, or players act in reasonable ways. In fact, 3.5 million children under the age of 14 experience some form of sports injury. The most common injuries involve knees, ankle sprains, and wrist injuries. The most dangerous injury is brain injury because it can cause severe injury or death. As parents you expect your coaches and managers to treat your children as if they are one of their own. Yet, that doesn’t always happen and your children pay the price for negligent behavior like overexertion, overheating, continuing play without properly assessing the player, or allow overly aggressive behavior while playing.

At Risk Playing

The problem with 65 of the largest district schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is that they don’t have insurance for serious injury to cover children while they play. The family of Chris had to learn the hard way. Chris was playing in a school football game when his injury resulted in paralysis. Because the school was not insured the family had to drain their retirement account and Chris’s college account to help pay for medical bills. Chris’s parents were under the impression that their child was covered by the school’s insurance, but that was far from the truth.

After local investigation, the amount of money it would take to purchase insurance for the teams would cost less than sending the “cross country runners on a charter bus” Stephenville ISD head trainer Mike Carroll stated. The state has the option, but it isn’t providing the funding for such coverage. In addition, most parents don’t know that just because you gave consent does not mean that you are unable to file a sports injury suit for negligent behavior.

What To Do

Watching your child getting hurt on the field is the same as watching them get into a car accident. You are watching with bated breath from the sideline. Don’t get bullied in believing that you have no option. Call 214-883-1700 or click here to start your journey to success with our attorneys at the Law Firm of Dorothy Hyde in Dallas today.

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