If you’re an adrenaline junkie who’s considering taking up an extreme sport like supercross, base jumping, street luge, rock climbing, or kite surfing – before you do, you need to read this. Here we’ll highlight some of the dangers you should be aware of, and all the associated risks that come along with extreme sports. As personal injury lawyers, we often see what types of injuries are most common with these sort of activities.  That’s why we’re here to inform you of the potential dangers and how you can protect yourself if you decide to engage in these types of activities.

Broken Bones

There are few extreme athletes that don’t have a story that involves a broken arm, leg, or tailbone. You can consider yourself lucky if you get a broken bone when missing a move in extreme sports, and for some athletes, it’s all just part of the sport. The only way to avoid a broken bone is to start easy, know your limits, and to wear protective equipment.

Spinal Injuries

When moving at top speeds, it only takes one small mistake to end up with an extreme injury. Just ask BMX dirt bike rider Stephen Murray who was left with a severely damaged spinal cord when he landed on his head when losing control.

Brain Injuries

A brain injury could leave you with serious impairments — memory, vision, mental health, and coordination. You could have to relearn basic functions, like talking, walking, and writing. Olympic snowboarder, Kevin Peace, suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him with years of intensive rehabilitation just to walk and eat again.

Paralyzed

A number of popular athletes have been left paralyzed from an injury as well. Famous dirt biker, Stephen Murray, ended up in a wheelchair and paralyzed from the shoulders down in 2007.

Fatalities

Sadly, there are also many examples of fatalities in extreme sports. Pushing the limits has resulted in a number of young, talented athletes losing their life to the sport. Taking risks in any sport comes with a price, even when the games have rules and are regulated.

Read more on how you can get help from our personal injury and brain injury lawyers.