Almost 9% of spinal cord injuries in the United States are sustained while participating in recreational activities. Additionally, recreational activities are one of the leading causes for traumatic brain injury in the United States, particularly for those who are 19 years of age or younger. Catastrophic injuries are caused by accidents during recreational activities far too often.
If you or your loved one has sustained a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or another catastrophic injury due to a recreational activity, you should not have to incur the costs of injury on your own. You or your loved one may be entitled to receive financial compensation under the law. A DC recreational activity injury lawyer can help you recover the necessary compensation.
Common Recreational Activities that Lead to Injuries
The term “recreational activities” is broad and encompasses a wide variety of activities. “Recreational activities” often refer to a sport, but can also refer to leisure activities such as taking a walk or canoeing. The most common recreational activities that lead to catastrophic injuries are as follows:
- Contact sports that lead to spinal cord or traumatic brain injury (football, wrestling)
- Water recreation such as diving, swimming, and surfing
- Fitness activities that require the use of equipment such as weightlifting, running on a treadmill, and using the stairclimber
- Outdoor leisure activities like hiking, jogging, and rock climbing
- Jumping on a trampoline
Recreational activity injuries can often be prevented through effective safety measures. If an unsafe hazard, condition, or lack of safety measures contributed to you or your loved one’s injury, a personal injury lawsuit can be filed against the party or parties at fault.
Receiving Compensation For A Recreational Injury
To receive compensation under the law for a personal injury, there must be a party or multiple parties to be held liable for the injury. Depending on the location where you were injured, the people present at the time of the injury, and how you were injured, many different parties could be at fault.
All locations where recreational activities take place have to be responsibly maintained and well-lit to keep participants safe. If the location in which you were injured had poor lighting, uneven flooring, or improper maintenance at the time of your injury, the property owner could be held at fault for your injury. For example, if you sustained a spinal cord injury by falling on uneven flooring during a basketball game, the recreational facility may be required by law to compensate you for your injuries.
All recreational activity workers, such as lifeguards, referees, and personal trainers have a responsibility to keep participants safe and follow all necessary safety measures. Additionally, all participants in recreational activities have a responsibility to follow the rules and not to harm other participants. If someone’s negligence or intentional act of harm contributed to your injury, the person may be held at fault in a court of law. For example, if a worker at your gym fails to clean up a spill, and that spill causes you to fall and sustain a catastrophic injury, they may be held liable for your injuries.
All sports, fitness, and safety equipment have a responsibility to function properly. This equipment must also be properly designed. If the sports, fitness, or safety equipment you were using contributed to your injury, the equipment seller or manufacturer may be held liable for your injury. For example, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against a sports helmet company if you sustain a traumatic brain injury during a football game while wearing the helmet.
In any recreational activity personal injury case, your DC recreational activity injury legal team must prove that a party or multiple parties are at fault for your injuries and that your injury has affected you financially and personally. Successfully proving this in court can result in receiving compensation for your past and future medical bills, lost wages, lost capacity to work in the future, rehabilitation costs, all necessary medical equipment, and pain and suffering. A successful personal injury lawsuit can yield anywhere between tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars, depending on your type of injury and the experience of your legal team. You do not have a choice regarding your type of injury, but you do have a choice regarding the legal team you hire. Picking a legal team with experience in recreational activity personal injury law maximizes your chances at receiving the compensation you deserve. A DC recreational activity injury lawyer at The Spinal Cord Injury Law Firm has the necessary experience in recreational activity personal injury lawsuits to successfully navigate your case. We know serious injuries, and we can fight for you.
Contact The Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Today
Although common throughout the United States, recreational activity injuries can be devastating and life-altering. If you or your loved one has sustained a catastrophic injury through a recreational activity, contact The Spinal Cord Injury Law Firm at 1-877-SCI-FIRM or info@spinalcordinjurylawyers.com today for a free consultation to determine your legal rights.
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