GREENVILLE, N.C. -
Helmets and mouth guards do not protect against concussions. That's the word from a new study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Now experts are calling for better education when it comes to recognizing the symptoms.
Nine on Your Side talked with athletic trainers in Pitt County about what the findings could mean for local athletes. Less than two years ago, Governor Bev Perdue signed a bill into law requiring schools to have an emergency action plan.
It's called the Gfeller-Waller concussion awareness act, and it's actually named after a student who died at J.H. Rose from back to back concussions. 16-year-old Jaquan Waller died on the field in 2008. Since then any athlete in Pitt County who gets a head injury has to see a doctor and pass a neurological test before they're cleared again to play.
The school system teamed up with ECU to hire licensed trainers for every high school team.
