The statistics are absolutely staggering. More than 200,000 concussions are sustained in Canada each year. That works out to a new concussion every two and half minutes.
Long-dubbed a “silent epidemic,” for many years the true toll of these traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) was very poorly understood.
But, thanks to the efforts of people like Gordon and Kathleen Stringer, Canadians are increasingly learning about the risks of concussions, understanding that proper post-injury care is vital to improve the odds of recovery, and witnessing systemic change in institutions where youth concussions are most likely to occur.
In this blog post, we explain how Rowan’s Law and Rowan’s Law Day, the annual day designated to raise awareness about concussions, are saving lives and preventing some young people from acquiring long-term disabilities.
Concussions: Serious Injuries That May Appear Deceptively Mild
Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old high school student, dreamed of helping people who were hurt or ill when she grew up. In the Spring of 2013, she learned she had been accepted into the University of Ottawa’s School of Nursing program beginning that Autumn, and she eagering anticipated graduating from John McCrae Secondary School.
A talented athlete, Rowan was captain of her school’s rugby team. As a contact sport, it is not uncommon for players to sustain head trauma while practising or during games. Unfortunately, Rowan is believed to have suffered three concussions within a six-day period.
A single concussion is a serious injury in itself, but sustaining subsequent concussions in short order can lead to a condition called second impact syndrome (when additional trauma causes the brain to swell before the initial injury has healed).
Neither Rowan, her coaches, her teachers, or her parents knew that it was necessary for her to stop playing rugby while her first concussion healed to reduce the risk of this serious secondary injury. As a result, four days after suffering her third concussion, she died in hospital when doctors were unable to successfully reduce the pressure in her brain.
In honour of her dream to help people in need of medical treatment, the Stringers agreed to donate Rowan’s organs following her death. But, Rowan’s family did not stop there.
What Is Rowan’ Law (Concussion Safety)?
Following her tragic death, Rowan’s parents were determined to ensure her story would help others from suffering a similar fate. When a coroner’s inquest into her death made 49 recommendations to try to prevent another tragedy such as this from happening in the future, the Stringers worked with an Ottawa MPP and developed a private members bill to put them into action.
Dubbed Rowan’s Law, it passed unanimously at the Ontario Legislature on June 7, 2016. The law includes mandatory rules for sports organizations that:
- ensure that athletes under 26 years of age, parents of athletes under 18, coaches, team trainers and officials confirm every year that they have reviewed Ontario’s Concussion Awareness Resources
- establish a Concussion Code of Conduct that sets out rules of behaviour to support concussion prevention
- establish a Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocol
To conform to the law, Ontario’s Ministry of Education updated its concussion policy (PPM 158: School Board Policies on Concussion) for school boards, school authorities and Provincial and Demonstration schools. While teachers and school staff are not expected to diagnose a brain injury, they are expected to recognize its signs, remove the child from the activity, and ensure that they are seen by an appropriate health care professional for diagnosis and treatment.
The law also set additional concussion requirements for health care providers and provided resources for people, such as coaches, who take on the role of a designated person assigned specific responsibilities to promote concussion awareness and safety within sports organizations.
About Rowan’s Law Day
Although Rowan’s Law aimed to take targeted action in specific areas where youth are more likely to experience concussions, it’s clear that promoting concussion safety should not be limited to sports fields and school yards. Everyone who is responsible for caring for young people should be aware that a head injury, even if it appears to be mild, must be taken seriously. Advising kids to simply “get up and shake it off” if they’ve suffered a knock, bump, or blow to the head is never a good idea.
To promote this broader goal, the legislation passed by the Ontario Assembly also named the last Wednesday in September as Rowan’s Law Day. It has become a prominent part of Concussion Awareness Week in Canada.
The early evidence seems to suggest events such as Rowan’s Law Day and other concussion awareness activities have made a major impact. The number of physician office or emergency room pediatric visits for concussion-related complaints has quadrupled in Ontario since 2010. While that statistic may seem disturbing at first, it should not be taken to mean that concussions are occurring more frequently. Rather, more parents and loved ones of children are recognizing that monitoring concussion symptoms and taking steps to support healing significantly improves outcomes.
Head injuries and concussion-related injuries are the most commonly reported injuries among youth.
These injuries, even if symptoms are mild, can lead to long-term health consequences, (including increasing the risk of dementia later in life). Moreover, combined with adult TBIs, these injuries not only cost our healthcare system hundreds of millions dollars each year, but also significantly impact productivity.
Concussion Awareness
Whether you’re reading this blog post on Rowan’s Law Day, during Concussion Awareness Week, or sometime later, take a moment to reflect on what could be lost if you or a loved one sustain this type of injury. Be prepared to act if you identify any of these concussion symptoms following head trauma:
- Confusion, brain fog, and/or difficulty paying attention, concentrating or comprehending
- Sleepiness/drowsiness or altered sleep patterns
- Nausea or vomiting
- Dizziness or feeling light-headed and/or problems with balance
- Light sensitivity, altered vision (double vision or blurred vision), ringing ears
- Anxiety, nervousness, irritability, sadness or depression
- Memory loss or forgetfulness
To aid recovery, in addition to consulting a doctor for specific treatment, following a concussion or suspected concussion, it is recommended that you:
- Avoid napping, but practise good sleep hygiene at night
- Take physical breaks and mental “brain breaks” often
- Avoid screens and/or brightly lit rooms
- Prioritise rest, relaxation and stress reduction
- Use over-the-counter medication for headache pain after consulting a pharmacist/physician
- Avoid activities where a secondary head injury is likely to occur
- Only increase strenuous physical and mental activities slowly and avoid pushing yourself too far too fast
Help When You’re Hurt
At Howie, Sacks & Henry LLP, we have helped many people who have sustained serious head injuries due to tragic accidents or intentional acts. We understand the healing process for head trauma can be long and uncertain, and you may even face a lifetime with a permanent debilitating brain injury.
If you or a loved one has sustained a serious concussion, you may be entitled to compensation. In addition to assisting with statutory accident benefits claims and long-term disability applications, our team of skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable personal injury lawyers has also helped clients obtain settlements or court awards against people whose negligence caused or contributed to your injury.
At HSH, we say Hope Starts Here. As one of Canada’s top ranked personal injury firms, not only do we have a strong reputation for excellence in legal representation among our peers and clients, but we pride ourselves on our support of the brain injury community through our volunteer work and financial support. Our interest in your well-being goes well beyond our casework on your behalf.
Rowan’s mother, Kathleen Stringer, has said that she and her husband hope their awareness campaigns will educate and teach young people that “playing a high school sport game is never more important than taking care of yourself.”
Self-care is, of course, essential. And if you or a loved one has been seriously injured, you deserve time to focus on your recovery while knowing that your trusted legal advocate will take on the project of accessing the compensation you rightfully deserve.
To learn more about how HSH LLP can help you, contact us for a free, no obligation initial consultation.
Contact Meghan Hull Jacquin at 416-361-0745, email at mhull@hshlawyers.com, or Michael J. Henry at 416-361-0889, email at mjhenry@hshlawyers
