Brampton personal injury lawyers are proud that Ontario became the first province in Canada to pass a legislation aimed at preventing concussions among young sports-persons and athletes. Known as Rowan’s Law, this important piece of legislation has huge implications for amateur sports leagues across Canada.

How It Happened

17 year-old Rowan Stringer was a talented young rugby player from Ottawa who tragically died on Mother’s Day, 2013, following multiple head concussions over a short period of time while she was playing. Known as second-impact syndrome, she suffered head trauma for the second time in a week, leading to her death.

Second-impact syndrome (SIS) occurs when the brain swells suddenly, swiftly and dangerously soon after a repeat impact that happens before the effects of the first one have healed. It can take place minutes, days or weeks following the earlier one. Sports-persons are specially vulnerable, since they return to the sport too early after the first impact.

SIS results in low distribution of energy and lesser blood flow within the brain. If managed properly and with proper rest, the effects of the first impact need not have serious consequences. However, when the subsequent impact occurs, the brain, being already vulnerable is unable to cope with the additional trauma. This results in fatality. At that time there were no protocols in place that could have prevented Rowan from returning to play after the first trauma unless she had a doctor’s certificate.

Rowan’s Law

A coroner’s inquest into Rowan Stringer’s death resulted in 49 recommendations for prevention of such fatalities. They include:

• Awareness creation for athletes, sports-persons, parents, coaches and teachers about concussion injuries
• Better concussion identifying tools for coaches and trainers
• Concussion policies in place across Ontario school boards and sports bodies
• Increased training and education for health-care professionals to identify and manage concussion

The law passed  in June 2016 following the inquest findings has come to be known as Rowan’s Law. This was the first law that is  specifically aimed at protecting children and youth. It ensures that all sports related associations and educational institutions put rules in place that mandate how concussion should be dealt with.

A variety of laws were put in place for Ontario school boards, rugby and sports clubs as well as ensuring a fee waiver for treatment of possibly concussed students, including during the recovery period.

Rowan’s father Gordon Stringer is among the many people who believe that her death was entirely preventable. “We need to have everything we can in place to prevent this from happening to another child,” he opined, “We don’t want anyone else to have to go through it.”

As of now, aside from Ontario, only Manitoba has proposed such legislation that would force sports bodies and associations to put protocols in place regarding return-to-play.

Apart from fatalities, concussion can also have other effects on the injured person. A study conducted in 2014 revealed that Ontario teens who suffered head trauma are more likely to lead troubled lives, with suicide, criminal behavior, aggression and bullying being some of the features.

Our 24×7 injury lawyers can advise you in such cases, help you with recovery and get possible compensation.