Football and hockey helmets – Protecting your kids from head injuries and concussions this fall

Protect your kids with proper equipment to prevent brain injury while engaging in contact sports

Fall in Ontario is the time of year when our kids put away their swim trunks and begin to participate in contact sports like football and hockey. While there’s an element of risk in any contact sport, no sound is more deafening than a crowd’s sudden silence when a young player loses consciousness after hitting his or her head on the ice, field or another player.

According to a report submitted to the Ministry of Health (PDF), one out of every 230 Canadian children is hospitalized each year with a serious trauma, with 20 percent of these having serious head injuries.

The potential long-term effects of sports-related concussions are serious enough to lead the  NHL and NHLPA to conduct studies to look into the issue.

Personal injury lawyers in Ontario recommend wearing a helmet to help prevent sports-related concussions.

Just as it is critical that kids wear bicycle helmets to protect from head injury while cycling, it is imperative that young football and hockey players wear appropriate helmets to reduce incidences of head injury, brain injury or sports-related concussions.

Choosing a proper helmet is important, and Ontario educators have created a Helmet Requirement Summary Chart to offer specific guidelines to follow in doing so. For example:

• Football helmets must have a label from the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE).
• Hockey helmets and full face protectors must bear a seal from the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). These seals certify that helmets have passed rigid CSA safety tests.

According to the NOCSAE suggested helmet inspection checklist,“helmets should be snug, with a gently-fitting chin strap that is always fastened while playing. Helmets should be inspected for safety daily, with cracked helmets replaced immediately, regardless of the size of the crack.”

Ontario Injury Lawyers recommend helmets to prevent head injury or brain injury

Sometimes, even when you take all precautions, accidents still happen. If your child is injured playing football or hockey, you may be entitled to compensation for their injuries. Our  Ontario injury lawyers can answer questions and offer a free no obligation consultation to accident victims.