PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, June 7, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Goalkeeper Loris Karius’ high profile errors may have cost Liverpool the Champions League final, but the greater tragedy lies in the failure of his team to immediately remove him from the match after he suffered a suspected concussion stress noted New York brain injury attorneys, Shana De Caro and Michael V. Kaplen.

According to Michael V. Kaplen, a partner in the New York brain injury law firm De Caro & Kaplen, LLP, and three-term past president of the Brain Injury Association of New York State, “Unfortunately, this is another example, of failing to treat concussion as a serious brain injury. Karius’ undoubtedly suffered some type of head trauma from this collision. He should have immediately been removed from play and not allowed to return until cleared by medical personnel trained in the detection and evaluation of concussions. It is now universally accepted in sports that the rule must be, when in doubt, players must be removed from play.”

ESPN reported on Monday that the Liverpool medical team had raised concerns after Karius collided with Madrid’s Sergio Ramos in the 48th minute of the match. It was not until last Thursday, however, — some 5 days after the Champions League final — that the 24-year old goalkeeper was finally examined at Massachusetts General Hospital, where a concussion was confirmed.

"After carefully reviewing game film and integrating a detailed history -- including his reported present and immediate post-contact subjective symptoms -- physical examination and objective metrics, we have concluded that Mr. Karius sustained a concussion during the match," Mass General said in a statement posted on their website.

According to Shana De Caro, a senior partner at De Caro & Kaplen, LLP, and secretary of the Brain Injury Association of America, “a concussion is a brain injury.” She continued, “all brain injuries must be treated seriously. A concussion can affect peripheral and spatial vision, particularly depth perception. I have no doubt his concussion contributed to his on-field errors.”

Concussions in sports have been the topic of much debate in recent months, with legislation having been proposed in several US states to ban tackling in youth football. In 2014 a class action lawsuit was brought against the NFL by former players for the brain injuries they sustained because of inadequate medical screening.

Shana De Caro and Michael V. Kaplen authored an Amicus Brief to the United States Supreme Court challenging the sufficiency of the NFL Class Action Concussion Settlement on behalf of the Brain Injury Association of America because of its failure to compensate a majority of players who sustained permanent damage caused by their concussions. They are leading U.S. advocates to protect athletes from the devastating consequences of concussions. They assert, “As brain injury lawyers, we see the devastating effects that brain injuries have on individuals and families every single day. The Liverpool goalkeeper’s troubles highlight once again it is time concussions are treated as serious brain injuries, whether they occur at school, in the NFL, or in the Champions League.”

De Caro & Kaplen, LLP recently published a guide to sports concussions for parents, which can be found on their website at https://brainlaw.com/brain-injuries/sports-concussions/.

Michael V. Kaplen
De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
(914) 747 4410
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