Ohio lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill to protect child athletes who suffer concussions.
Medical experts from the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and other health care organizations had strongly support the bill. Youth athletes’ still-developing brains are particularly vulnerable to the effects of head injuries, they said.
And the number of injuries has jumped.
Emergency room visits for sports-related traumatic brain injuries for young athletes more than doubled between 2002 and 2010, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Specifically, the new law would require coaches and referees to remove a player from a game or practice who is showing symptoms of a concussion or head injury.
The player wouldn’t be allowed to return until being assessed and cleared by a doctor or licensed health care provider.
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