On March 6, the Province of Ontario announced the passage of Rowan’s Law, a piece of “ground-breaking” legislation that aims to protect the province’s young athletes from head injuries and educate coaches, parents, and teachers on the dangers of concussions. The law, which has received enthusiastic backing from Ontario brain injury lawyers, is named in honour of Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old Ottawa girl who died in 2013 from a head injury in a high school rugby game.
According to a provincial release, Rowan’s Law mandates: an annual review of concussion prevention, identification, and management resources that coaches and educators would be required to engage with prior to registering in a sport; strict removal-from-sport and return-to-sport protocols that ensure athletes are removed from harm’s way and allowed ample time to recover if a concussion is suspected; and a code of conduct for athletes that will minimize behaviours that cause concussions.
To the delight of safety advocates and brain injury lawyers in Ontario, Rowan’s Law is a precedent-setting piece of legislation that places the province in a leadership position. Lawmakers consulted with medical experts, researchers, and members of the Rowan’s Law Advisory Committee, which laid out 21 recommendations for improved concussion protocols in its September 2017 report.
“With this legislation now in place, amateur athletes in Ontario – and the coaches and families that support them – will have the safe sport system that they want and deserve,” said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Daiene Vernile. “Through increasing awareness, and changing conversations on the field, at school and in our homes, Ontario is creating a world class amateur sport system where athletes and Ontarians can participate safely.”
“As Chair of the Rowan’s Law Committee, and on behalf of its members, we are so pleased that Ontario not only has demonstrated its commitment to protecting our young people playing sport, but also set a new standard for concussion prevention and management for Canada,” said Rowan’s Law Advisory Committee Chair and Chief Medical Executive at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Dr. Dan Cass. “I believe that Rowan’s Law will change the culture of amateur sport, where everyone can participate safely and speak up if they or a teammate might have a concussion.”
Rowan’s Law will likely reduce instances of concussion in youth sports in Ontario, which is an important achievement. Unfortunately, brain injuries of other varieties will remain commonplace in the province. If you, a friend, or a member of your family has suffered a blow to the head, contact the brain injury lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers today to learn how we can help.
Greg Neinstein
Latest posts by Greg Neinstein (see all)
- Do I have a personal injury case? - April 23, 2019
- Are your insurance premiums high? Check your postal code - April 17, 2019
- This was an unusually harsh winter for slip-and-falls - April 11, 2019