According to the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), January is National Winter Sports Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Awareness Month. In a study discussed on the ODPHP’s website, researchers found that skiing and snowboarding accidents accounted for more than half (55 percent) of all action sports-related concussions. This is significant, and it helps to shed light on the importance of a commitment to safety among athletes, recreational skiers and snowboarders, and snow slope operators.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) Associated With Winter Sports and Activities
Falls and other accidents while skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, hiking, ice climbing and engaging in other winter sports and activities have the potential to cause many different types of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). While concussions are easily the most common form of TBI, other potentially more-serious injuries can also result from whiplash and blunt force trauma from collisions with the ground, trees, boulders, slope obstacles and other people. Types of TBI known to result from winter sports-related accidents include:
- Concussions (mild, moderate and severe)
- Coup-countercoup injuries
- Diffuse anoxal injuries
- Edemas
- Hematomas
- Hemorrhages (intraventricular hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage)
- Skull fractures
Tips for Mitigating the Risk of TBI During Winter Sports
To help mitigate the risk of these and other injuries, the ODPHP offers these tips to individuals who participate in winter sports in Denver and other parts of the country:
- Wear a Helmet. Wearing a helmet can significantly reduce your risk of suffering a traumatic injury in the event of a fall, crash or collision.
- Stay Within Limits. Staying within the limits of your own personal experience as well as staying within marked boundaries at ski resorts and other facilities will reduce your risk of injury as well.
- Have a Plan for Seeking Medical Care. If possible, participate in outdoor sports at staffed venues where there is easy access to medical care. If you plan to adventure to a remote location, let someone know where you are going and make sure you have a means of calling for emergency assistance.
Seeking Financial Compensation for TBI from Winter Sports Accidents
While some winter sports accidents result from natural and unpredictable factors, many accidents can be avoided with proper care. For example, many accidents at ski resorts and other winter sports facilities result from facility operators’ failure to post adequate signage, or to promptly address known safety risks that have arisen with slopes, jumps and other obstacles. Defective products (such as skis, bindings and safety equipment) can cause accidents and injuries as well, and facility operators and product manufacturers may be liable even in cases where activity participants are partially to blame for their own injuries.
Learn More from the Denver Personal Injury Lawyers at Levine Law
If you have been seriously injured in a winter sports-related accident, it is important that you speak with a lawyer about your ability to seek financial compensation. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation at Levine Law, please call 303-333-8000 or contact us online today.
