There is always a certain amount of risk involved in sports, but when it comes to high school cheerleading, the dangers are often more severe than people expect. As a result, many teenagers experience serious and life-changing injuries that can have tragic consequences. Here are five of the most shocking cheerleading deaths and accidents.
Jumps, flips and stunts make cheerleading a sport that requires a great deal of balance and coordination. As such, it is no wonder that injuries involving balance are common among cheerleaders. These types of injuries are most likely to occur when a cheerleader is not properly supervised. When coaches push their athletes too hard and expose them to unnecessary risks, they are setting the girls up for disaster.
One of the most dangerous types of cheerleading-related injuries is a head injury. According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, nearly two-thirds of all catastrophic cheerleading injuries involve a head trauma. These injuries are typically a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and can cause symptoms such as a loss of consciousness, recurring headache, or motor impairment.
TBIs are also extremely common in cheerleading due to the frequent contact and falls that occur. This is especially true in the case of stunts where a cheerleader is thrown into the air and then catches herself or another teammate. For example, the 17-year-old cheerleader who died at Sacramento City College was a “flyer” for her team and was performing a stunt during practice when she fell from 15 feet and broke her neck and two vertebrae in her spine.
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