On August 24, 2010, high school football player Edward Acuna filed a suit against
Riddel, a helmet manufacturing company. Acuna endured a traumatic brain injury during a football game in which he wore a helmet made by Riddell. During the Gary High School homecoming football game in October 2009, Acuna took a blow to the front of his helmet and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury that left him permanently disabled and partially paralyzed, an Expert Click article reported.
Riddell helmets have been advertised as “the official helmet of the NFL,” the article noted. Acuna’s lawsuit alleges that the helmet he wore was known by the company to be dangerous and defective. He claims that the defective helmet was the primary cause of his brain injury.
Acuna’s lawyer, Ilyas Akbari, said, “It is a parent’s worst nightmare to see their child suffer a catastrophic injury while playing the sport they love, especially when that injury could have been avoided by a known and simple fix,” the article reported. He also said that Riddell knew about the defect in the helmet for ten years and has not taken action to improve the design.
Acuna and his legal team are seeking an unpublished amount of money in damages from Riddell for “careless and reckless design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of a defective helmet and for failing to adequately warn of the potential risks and dangers associated with the helmet,” the article said.
The Riddell helmet in question allegedly has been manufactured with a defective front pad since 2000, and the company has been aware of it and failed to conduct safety tests or improve the helmet, the lawsuit claims. After Acuna was struck in the front of his helmet, he fell to the ground, stumbled away and then fell into a coma with a subdural hematoma.
References:
McCall, Robin. (August 26, 2010) “High School Football Player with Severe Brain Injury Sues Riddell for Defective Football Helmet.” Retrieved on September 8, 2010 from the Expert Click website:https://www.expertclick.com/NRWire/Releasedetails.aspx?id=33262
Wire Service Reports. (August 26, 2010) “High school athlete sues helmet maker over brain injury.” Retrieved on September 8, 2010 from the Contra Costa Times website:http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_15900228?nclick_check=1