COLVILLE-- A Colville High School football player is still in serious condition following brain surgery almost two weeks ago.
Austin Pete was brought to Spokane after a serious head injury on the field. It was the fast actions by his coaches and teammates that got him to the hospital in time. The school says it used the same system is always does anytime someone is hurt on the field.
In the last month head injuries have gotten a lot more attention. Coaches say if there is any indication of a concussion they take it very seriously and its something they look for. Indications of a concussion could be a lot of things, like headaches, trouble speaking or seeing. In the last 30 years, Colville has only seen an injury like Pete’s once.
So far in Washington State, four high school football players have been hospitalized or even killed by head injuries. There’s a new law in Washington State that says athletes have to be checked out by a medical professional after a head injury to make sure those players aren’t sent back onto the field too soon. Since the law went into effect, trainers say they’ve heard about a lot more head injuries. Now schools are teaching everyone to keep an eye out in practice and in games. Colville coaches say that means the players are trained to look out for their friends. With the increases focus on head injuries, coaches and trainers say this is probably the best year for teaching kids about head injuries.
