Zack's Law
| 11 November 2009
Three years ago, a young middle-school athlete in Washington made a tackle in his football game that would forever change his life. Thirteen-year-old Zack Lystedt unknowingly suffered a concussion. Although Zack left the field for a while to shake the cobwebs off, he returned to play in the fourth quarter. Almost immediately after the game, he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital where physicians performed emergency brain surgery. Had Zack remained out of the game and his concussion been properly diagnosed, he would likely have returned to full health.
The state of Washington has since taken strong and proactive steps to prevent similar occurrences from happening again. Earlier this year, a law was passed to protect players that are suspected to have suffered a concussion, called the Zackary Lystedt Law. This new law prohibits athletes who suffer a head trauma from returning to play until they have received written permission from a doctor.
Do you know what your sports league's or school's head injury policy states? If you don’t, you should. Please post what you find out.
