By Emily Mapp Brannon, Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

New legislation to protect student athletes from the dangers of concussions is being implemented across the United States, with Wisconsin (WI) being the latest state to consider a bill.

Medical experts, concussion survivors and the head of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association are among those supporting a law that would develop guidelines on the risk of head injuries and provide new rules for young athletes who are hurt on the field of play, JSOnline reported.

The bill “would require new guidelines to educate coaches, athletes and their parents about the risk of concussion and head injury in youth athletic activities. Experts say the number of traumatic brain injuries among young people is on the rise,” JSOnline reported.

The new legislation would also require a young athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury to be removed immediately from the game. The athlete could not return to the field until he or she is looked at by a health care provider trained to evaluate concussion or head other injuries. The athlete should also have permission to return to the game.

Our experienced Virginia (VA) traumatic brain injury attorneys have reported on moves by a number of states to bring in legislation to protect athletes from concussion. Virginia brought in the Student-Athlete Protection Act in January 2011.

There are good reasons for these rules. Recently we reported on how a 17-year-old student athlete from Virginia (VA) committed suicide two days after he suffered a blow to the head during a football game.

High schools and youth sports leagues in North Carolina (NC) and South Carolina (SC) also recently implemented new rules intended to prevent head-to-head contact, returning too early from concussions, and limiting injuries from balls, bats and other equipment.

Our firm obtained the largest personal injury verdict in Virginia history as of 2000 – $46 million – in the case of a gas station attendant who suffered a brain injury and other injuries when he was trapped inside a partly demolished gas station when a Norfolk Southern train derailed following an incorrect switch position.

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About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling traumatic brain injury and general head injury cases. Check out our case results to see for yourself. Our primary office is in Virginia Beach, Virginia (VA). Our attorneys achieved the largest verdict in Virginia’s history for a brain-damaged client in 2000. The initial award of $46 million rose to $60 million with interest when an appeal was settled confidentially. Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included in the 2011 issue of Best Lawyers in America. They, along with fellow attorney John M. Cooper, were also named 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law, an honor which fewer than 5 percent of outstanding lawyers receive. Our injury lawyers also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube. Further, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard blogs as pro bono public information services. While not every brain injury case meets our criteria, if you or a loved one is thinking about taking legal action against a possibly at-fault person or company that caused your injury, call our office at (800) 752-0042 for a free consultation. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, be sure to leave a voicemail. We will return your call.