Dallas Boy Suffers Serious Brain Injury on School Playground

A simple playground collision resulted in a serious traumatic brain injury for one Dallas schoolboy last week, but the quick actions of the teachers in the schoolyard likely saved the boy’s life – and certainly provided a good lesson to parents and caregivers across Texas.
According to local news sources, 10-year-old Ethan Fox was playing flag football with classmates at the end of the school year at Merriman Park Elementary School in Dallas when he and a classmate collided knee to head. The other child suffered a knee injury, and Fox was knocked unconscious. When fourth-grade teacher Kelsey Truckenbrod reached the boys, she saw how serious it was and called 911 immediately. Her action likely saved the boy’s life.
Fox was rushed to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas where ER doctors discovered that he had suffered a skull fracture as well as a severed artery in his brain that was causing bleeding and swelling. One of his physicians said that the outcome would have been much worse if he wasn’t brought to the hospital immediately after the accident.
This story is especially important today, as many Texas schools struggle with policies regarding concussions at school, head injuries on the playground, and administration response. Over a half-million children receive traumatic brain injuries across the country each year, and many parents do not know what the appropriate response to a head injury is. What should parents do? Call 911 if your child loses consciousness, and go to the emergency room if your child shows any signs of serious injury, such as behavioral changes.