Professional golfer Brant Snedeker recently suffered an embarrassing sports injury that forced him to withdraw from the Australian Professional Golf Association Championship. While competing in China, Snedeker jumped off of his golf cart and landed awkwardly and felt pain in his leg. After returning home to Nashville, Tennessee, doctors diagnosed him with a strained ACL and bruised tibia. Snedeker will be out of action for a few weeks to two months.

Most sports injuries are foreseeable by the athlete and are not actionable. However, when an athlete, especially a student, is injured unexpectedly because of another’s negligence, contact a California sports injury lawyer.

Injury rate for children athletes

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign and American Academy of Pediatrics report that more than 3.5 million children aged 14 and younger are hurt every year playing sports or other recreational activities.  It is estimated that more than 775,000 of those children injured are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports injuries. Sports activities contribute to an estimated 21 percent of traumatic brain injuries among U.S. children.

Which sports are the culprits?

Although concussion injuries from football have been receiving considerable attention recently, athletes, especially children athletes, are injured while playing almost every sport. In a 2009 study, the Consumer Product Safety Commission ranked the following as the most dangerous sports for children aged 5 to 14:

• Football — Nearly 215,000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms for football injuries
• Bicycling — More than 200,000 children visited the emergency rooms for bicycle injuries
• Basketball — More than 170,000 children were sent to the hospital emergency room for treatment of basketball injuries
• Baseball and Softball – Almost 110,000 children suffered baseball injuries requiring emergency room care
• Soccer — Approximately 88,000 children make hospital emergency room visits every year because of soccer injuries

Baseball is surprisingly the deadliest sport as four children die every year from baseball injuries.

Whether the injuries consist of sprains, strains, broken bones or head injuries, if they were caused by negligent behavior, a personal injury suit may be sought. If you or a loved one suffered a sports injury, schedule a free consultation with a San Diego personal injury attorney today.