In Kansas City, the parents of Nathan Stiles said they had no reason to doubt that their 17-year-old son would be ready to return to the football field after he had suffered a concussion during a homecoming game. After spending weeks resting his doctor gave him the all clear and told him he could play football again. His parents said that even a CT scan, which is meant to detect serious head injuries, came back negative and gave them the impression that their son was okay to continue playing.
However, in late October, the senior died after he collapsed on the sidelines at a football game. Later, a coroner determined that he had died of the rare but severe brain injury that likely went undetected.
Despite the fact that the Kansas City school district said it followed rules to reduce concussion risks to its players, Nathan's family is left wondering what happened.
Rick Bowden, assistant executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association, told news sources, "But I don't know if anything could have been done differently. When a doctor releases a student to return to participate, what more can we ask?"
Sources say that many football organizations at every level are tightening rules and regulations in order to prevent head injuries and brain injuries. In fact, players can even be fined for dangerous tackles in the NFL and coaches in high schools are told to keep players off the field whenever a head injury is suspected.
Did you or someone you love suffer a catastrophic injury? Do you believe third party negligence contributed to the injury? If so, contact the Negroni Law Group to set up a consultation with a Broward County personal injury attorney.