His brother, who was 10 at the time, took a bad spill from a skateboard, hit his head on the pavement, and experienced amnesia-he couldn’t even recognize his own family. Kracke first became aware of head injuries when he was 12 years old. The laws also stipulate that players sustaining head injuries must be taken out of play and not allowed to return without a medical release. They require coaches to be taught about the symptoms and potential seriousness of concussions and repeated concussions. Kracke, who has long been active with the Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon, testified before both houses of the legislature and worked with lawmakers, physicians, and others to pass both bills. It promises to be literally a lifesaving law.” It is exactly what we hoped, but I don’t think anybody expected this tidal wave.” National awareness now is such that “you can’t talk about sports without talking about concussions.” About Jenna’s Law, he said, “It will create an entire community of players, coaches, referees, and parents who are educated about and aware of the terrible risks posed by concussions. “After Oregon and Washington passed theirs, other states got on board. Oregon’s concussion laws are among the most sweeping in the nation, Kracke said. The legislation was named after a former championship skier from Sisters, Oregon, who experienced 11 concussions over a period of years and now suffers from headaches and other health challenges. “In other words, if a kid is playing organized sports in a league of any kind in Oregon, Jenna’s Law applies,” Kracke said. That is what led Kracke to advocate for-and write the initial draft of-“Jenna’s Law,” which makes concussion education a requirement for all youth sports, including recreational leagues and the like. Of course, the risk of concussion is not limited to school sports programs. Max’s Law helps protect student athletes. Max suffers from what is known as second-impact syndrome-a rare, often fatal condition in which a second concussion occurs before an earlier concussion has healed properly. A severe concussion involves a longer loss of consciousness, as well as a longer recovery time. Today, he is in a long-term care facility and struggles with performing the most basic physical tasks.Ī mild concussion might result in being slightly dazed or experiencing a brief loss of consciousness. After experiencing the second concussion, Max lay in a coma for four months. In particular, he is focused on the heightened risks posed by repeat concussions, such as the two Max Conradt, an Oregon high school player, sustained in football games within a week of each other. Kracke (pronounced CRACK-ee) has devoted an extraordinary amount of time and energy to raising awareness of the dangers of concussion-an injury to the brain resulting from an impact, usually to the head. Instrumental in the development, promotion, and passing of the law-as well as the closely related “Jenna’s Law,” which went into effect January 1, 2014-was Portland personal injury attorney David R. “Max’s Law” mandates concussion-recognition training for high school coaches in all sports. But the movement started in Oregon, the first state to pass such legislation, in 2009. David and Max Conradt after the signing of Max’s LawĪll 50 states now have sports concussion statutes intended to protect young athletes from traumatic brain injuries.
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