Originally started as an all-male activity, cheerleading has become a female-driven, high-intensity activity that involves routines that contain tumbling, jumps, stunts, and cheer. Modern cheerleading erupted in the 1980s and this type of activity has expanded to include young children, teenagers, and adults.
Most frequently cheerleading teams are composed of students at the middle, high school, and college level. At the professional level cheerleaders and dancers can also be seen at the sidelines of many professional sports games including football, rugby, hockey, and soccer.
Due to the activities being performed cheerleading has become known as a dangerous sport, although the National Collegiate Athletic Association does not consider it a sport. According to the Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), cheerleading accidents accounted for 66% of all catastrophic sports injuries in high school female athletes in the past 25 years.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a cheerleading accident, the victim may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and more.
For a no-cost, no-obligation evaluation of your cheerleading accident injuries, fill out the ‘FREE CASE REVIEW’ form located to your right.
Types of Cheerleading Injuries
As more and more young men and women get into cheerleading, including those who are very young, the number of injured cheerleaders gets higher. The same study from the AAP reported that the rate of catastrophic injuries per year was 4.8 between 2003 and 2009. Furthermore, college cheerleaders are more likely to be injured than any other group due to their more complex stunts.
Some common types of cheerleading injuries include:
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Broken Bones
- Sprains and Strains
The highest amount of reported injuries were to the lower extremities and occurred most frequently among college-aged cheerleaders. Among all age groups sprains and strains made up for more than half of all reported injuries.
Catastrophic injuries may be classified as direct or indirect injuries caused by cheerleading. A direct injury may be a skull fracture whereas an indirect injury may be heat stroke during a cheer session or complications that stemmed from a nonfatal injury.
Although rare, some other reported cheerleading injuries include paralysis, collapsed lung, and even death.
Causes of Cheerleading Injuries
Overall this type of sport is dangerous because of what is involved in the routines, however, every day people play other sports that are just as dangerous. There are many other factors that could lead to a serious cheering accident.
Some frequent causes of cheerleading accident injuries include:
- Inexperienced Coaches
- Cheering on Harder Surfaces
- Improper Training
- Untrained or Poorly Trained Coaches
- Dangerous Stunts That Are Too High
One of the risk factors in cheerleading accidents includes what is called “critical height” which is the fall height below which a life-threatening injury could occur. For example, the critical height for cheering in grass is much higher than cheering on vinyl. A life-threatening injury is less likely to occur if the stunt does not surpass that critical height should the cheerleader(s) fall.
Contact our Greensboro Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Cheerleading accidents are an unfortunate, but very real event that could harm any persons involved in the sport. If you or a loved one has suffered from a cheerleading injury caused by another individual’s negligence and they are seeking legal counsel on the matter, our attorneys are ready to help.
At Mike Lewis Attorneys, we understand how serious cheerleading accidents can be and how much harm they can truly cause an individual and their families. With more than 150 years of combined legal experience, we are pleased to assist injured victims in the following areas:
- Union Cross
…and many more local cities and towns. To find out how we may be able to assist you with your personal injury claim, contact us at 1-866-299-1769 and we will help you determine if you have a case, and if so, how to move proceed with it. Our intake staff members will connect you with one of our knowledgeable lawyers after a few initial questions.
To contact us online, simply fill out the ‘FREE CASE REVIEW’ form located at the top right hand corner of this page.