Rowan’s Law

On Thursday, December 10th, Bill 149 unanimously passed second reading in the Ontario legislature.

Also known as Rowan’s Law, this bill targets youth concussions from sport and will establish a committee to implement recommendations from a Coroner’s inquest into the death of Rowan Stringer. Rowan was a 17 year old rugby player. She died after being knocked unconscious in a high school rugby game. The inquest into her death revealed that she had suffered three concussions in the week prior to her death.

Among the recommendations from the inquest are:

• requiring students and parents take concussion awareness and management training prior to permitting that student to engage in high risk sports;
• developing a method to track student concussions to ensure they are properly treated;
• adopting a zero tolerance policy for head hits and high tackles in rugby, with progressively tough penalties (including expulsion) for repeat offenders;
• determining a safe length of time between games and training involving contact to reduce the risk of concussion and other injuries; and
• creating awareness and education opportunities in Ontario schools to provide students with accurate information on head injuries, their symptoms, effects, and the long term risks.

Rowan’s death was a preventable tragedy. In November, Daniel & Partners LLP was one of the sponsors of the Ontario Brain Injury Association Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This conference provided support, education, and awareness related to traumatic brain injuries. Our personal injury lawyers are a dedicated team, committed to ensuring that our clients have the necessary resources to recover from their injuries.

Blog Post written by Karen Shedden, NCA Candidate