Concussion, sport and the law
Unlike Moore and Marshall, a Colorado High School student, Rhett Ridolfi, was not so lucky when, in 2008, he suffered severe and chronic brain injury during American football practice. Ridolfi was injured early on in a coaching session and despite complaining of severe dizziness, Ridolfi’s coaches and other school staff asked him to continue with tackle drills. Ridolfi’s mother, acting on behalf of her paralysed son, subsequently sued the coaches and staff for negligence. The family also sued Riddell, one of America’s leading helmet manufacturers, on product liability grounds and mainly for certain design defects in the helmet but also for inadequate warnings on the dangers of concussion even when playing with a helmet. This month, a Colorado jury found the school staff liable. The jury also held that, although there were no design defects in the product, the helmet manufacturers had not adequately warned users of its equipment on the continuing risk of concussion.