Lawmakers in Washington state are putting through a bill to help minimize the potential for traumatic brain injuries in sports. Washington has approved the country's strictest law governing the return to play of youth athletes who are suspected of having a concussion. The law, which is informally known as Zackery Lystedt's Law, state that any athlete under 18 who shows signs of concussion will be barred from returning to play until he or she has been evaluated by a physician and cleared to resume sports activities. The purpose of this law is to prevent what is known as second impact syndrome. The law also has an educational component, requiring athletes and parents to sign a concussion and head-injury information form.
The law is named for Zackery Lystedt, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2006, during a middle school football game. Zackery, then 13, took a hard hit in the end zone that put him out of the game for 15 minutes. He then went back in the game, where he collapsed on the field a few minutes later. His last words to his father before losing consciousness were, "Dad, I can't see." Zackery was then taken to the hospital where doctors operated on the hemorrhage in his brain. Three years later, he is still in a wheel chair, although he has mostly regained his sight and speech. It took Zackery 9 months after the injury before he could speak again.
His father, Victor Lystedt, is certain that none of this would have happened if Zackery had not gone back in the game after that first hit. "If my child would have been taken out of the game after he suffered his concussion, he wouldn't be the way he is today. He would be able to function like a normal 16 year old." This legislation is aimed at preventing more situations like Zackery's.
I hope that this bill will gain momentum and become the standard for all youth sports across the country. For more information on the signs of concussion and second impact syndrome, please see my prior post "Don't Ignore the Dings."
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