"The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that approximately 2,000 people under the age of 25 die from sudden cardiac arrest in the U.S. each year. It is the leading cause of death in young athletes in the United States – resulting in 1 death in a high school student every 3 days, according to some experts." --U of Kansas Health System
Sudden death in high school athletes happens every year. And 90% of those are caused by one of four conditions: head, heart, heat and hemoglobin. Expanded, those conditions look like catastrophic brain injuries (head), sudden cardiac arrest (heart), exertional heat stroke (heat) and exertional sickling (hemoglobin)."
--Louisville Courier-Journal
INJURY RATES AGE 14 & UNDER
More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities.
Although death from a sports injury is rare, the leading cause of death from a sports-related injury is a brain injury.
Sports and recreational activities contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children.
Almost 50 percent of head injuries sustained in sports or recreational activities occur during bicycling, skateboarding, or skating incidents.
More than 775,000 children, ages 14 and younger, are treated in hospital emergency rooms for sports-related injuries each year. Most of the injuries occurred as a result of falls, being struck by an object, collisions, and overexertion during unorganized or informal sports activities. --STANFORD MEDICINE / National SAFE KIDS Campaign & the American Academy of Pediatrics
The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research tracks and reports on fatal & catastrophic Injuries in sports. Click on the link above to learn more.
