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AT RISK
‘At Risk’ is a regular feature which highlights recent news stories about some of
the accidents and injuries that occur in the sport and leisure world.
Risk is present in our everyday lives even when we are playing sport and having
fun. Here we report some of the more tragic and bizarre events that lead to
loss, injury and sometimes even death in our industry.
US$1BN PAYOUT PLAN FOR CONCUSSED NFL
PLAYERS
A deal worth US$1bn to compensate US football players for head
injuries suffered while playing, is set to be approved.
More than 4,500 former football players filed a lawsuit against
the National Football League (NFL), saying that the league hid the
dangers of concussion-related trauma.
The compensation deal has been granted preliminary approval
by district court judge Anita Brody, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
where the settlement agreement was originally filed, though
the judge asked the deal to be revised for wider compensation
coverage.
The settlement will cover players who develop dementia or
neurological issues related to concussions suffered during their
professional playing careers.
Despite the agreement in place, lawyers have queried why the
deal does not cover future payouts for a disorder known as
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a condition seen to be
synonymous with football concussions which can cause depression,
rage and other mood disorders, and is only diagnosable after
death.
The average individual payout would be $190,000, with younger
men receiving awards between $1m and $5m. Players’ lawyers say
the money will be used to compensate families and for medical
testing.
The NFL expects 6,000 of its approximately 20,000 retired players
to develop Alzheimer ’s disease or dementia in their lives.
The deal could cost the league more than US$1bn over 65 years.
SCHOOL FINED FOR PUPIL
INJURED IN PE CLASS
A School in Kent, England was f ined £10,000
af ter a pupil suf fered a life threatening
injury during a PE lesson.
A 14-year-old boy was hit on the head with
a shot put during an athletic session at
The Jude School. He required emergency
brain surgery and spent a month in
hospital before returning to school with a
permanent indentation on his skull.
The student was standing on the edge of
the shot put landing area when he was hit
on the back of the Head. The Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) told the court that
the school had not followed its own risk
assessment or guidance on multi-event PE
lessons.
The school admitted to breaching health
and safety legislation and stated that they
deeply regret the incident.
A school statement said: “We have
re-examined all our safety procedures in
PE and are doing the same across the whole
school. We have also shared the lessons
from this incident with other secondary
schools and we are as conf ident as we can
be that a similar accident will not happen
again in future.”
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ISSUE 21 | AUGUST 2015