Brain Injury Commission proposes better safety regulations for student athletes

DEDHAM, Mass. — Recent studies have surfaced highlighting how the damage from concussions can be devastating for athletes of all ages. Brain injuries affect athletes weeks, years and even decades down the road

State leaders have been proposing plans to ensure the safety of student athletes, who are at just as much of a risk of brain injuries as professional athletes.

According to the latest information released by the CDC, just over 300,000 kids across the country suffer from a sports-related brain injury every year.

Lawmakers and students themselves are saying now more so than ever is the time to take action and make sure kids are safe when playing their favorite sports.

Sarah Lepsevich is a brain injury survivor who hopes her story will serve as an example of the work that needs to be done to tackle this issue.

Lepsevich played soccer for the private Montrose School, and it was during one of those games that her soccer dreams turned into a nightmare.

"The force, the impact speed of the ball to my head was so forceful that I fell, head first. I slammed the left side of my head on the turf, so what happened was my neck wrenched. So, I injured my right temple, so my frontal lobe, my cerebellum, parts of my left hemisphere," Lepsevich told Boston 25 News reporter Crystal Haynes.

During the game where her injury happened, no one took her out of the field. The result of that was that, two weeks later, her body began to break down.

"Focusing on learning how to walk, talk, read, write. I lost function on the right side so I couldn't hold a glass of water. I couldn't shower myself, my family had to care for me 24 hours a day," Lepsevich says.

Lepsevich was among several testifying in support of about half a dozen bills centered around more concussion research and methods for concussion detection including a cost assessment for school districts.

According to a survey by the State Department of Health, only 34 percent of students with sports-related brain injuries reported it and about half of them continued to play.

"This is the group, where they're gonna do everything they can to go back and play, including cheating the system and that's where it falls through the cracks," said sports physical therapist Joe Kelly.

Kelly says having a better test to detect concussions in athletes is key in getting them out of the game before permanent damage is done.

"I think the  key here is identifying new ways to identify when a high school athlete has a concussion and there's tools and methods now that we need to bring to the forefront," said Rep. Bruce Ayers, D-Norfolk.

In 2011, the legislature formed the Brain Injury Commission and with the new research in the field, members are hoping these bills will be an extension of their work.

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