High School Head Injuries Blamed on Football Helmet Safety Standards

Posted on Friday, October 22nd, 2010

We’ve been focusing a lot on bicycle helmets on this blog over the past few weeks, but not as much on helmets to prevent other sports-related injuries. On its front page yesterday, the New York Times ran a story about the football helmet industry’s lackluster (to put it lightly) safety regulations. In fact, the story suggests that the trusted words “Meets NOCSAE Standard” on the back of helmets shouldn’t be trusted at all.

Though players, coaches, and parents have considered this an appropriate arbiter of safe helmets for decades, it turns out that the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment is a volunteer organization comprised mostly of representatives from the helmet manufacturers.

And though the helmets have been tested and modified to prevent skull fractures, they have never been proven fully adequate to protect against concussions. Oddly, the raw materials required to protect from skull fractures and concussions are different. Needing to limit the weight of football helmets, manufacturers are faced with an impossible choice: make them adequate to prevent skull fractures, but susceptible to possible concussions, or protect concussions, potentially leaving the skull vulnerable.

What’s more alarming is that there appears to be no standard for applying liability to Nocsae. ThePopTort highlights the danger for consumers and pinpoints this particularly alarming passage from the Times story:

However, “Manufacturers and schools, equipment managers and the coaches — the whole football industry — don’t want to go after or even criticize the security blanket of Nocsae,” said Sander Reynolds, Xenith’s vice president for product development. “If there’s a lawsuit, they all look to Nocsae to say, ‘Hey, see, the product met the set standards.’ They’re all ultimately on the same side when it comes to liability. Nocsae exists for two reasons — to avoid skull fractures, and to avoid liability.”

With an estimated 100,000 football-related concussions reported each year for high school players alone, it’s important that Nocsae, high schools, and state governments get proactive about implementing tougher safety laws to protect against both skull fractures and concussions. And let’s hope that it doesn’t take another string of high school concussions to jolt lawmakers into action on this issue.

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2 Responses to “High School Head Injuries Blamed on Football Helmet Safety Standards”

1. Tamiko says:

   September 30, 2011 at 12:31 pm

   I am dealing with this issue right now. Mine son gut a concussion in the 3rd quarter of his game, at first he appeared fine then 15 minutes later he couldn’t remember his name, where he was or anything. His motor skills were impaired and speech irregular. the trainer failed to contact myself or an ambulance to seek further treatment for him, in fact the trainer had him up walking instead of stationary in case there was further injury. I can not find an attorney to handle this matter. The helmets are not up to pare to protect against such injuries and the trainer was negligent in providing further treatment that my son needed. The high school also doesnt insure that an ambulance is standing by during games except for the varsity……. seems like a lack of concern to me and in this day and time of football related deaths throughout the football industry from high school to pros you would think they would be more proactive.
2. Dirk Knudsen says:

   November 2, 2011 at 2:00 pm

   Tamiko;

   You need to call me as soon as you can.

   Thanks

   Dirk Knudsen
   503-799-8383

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