On Saturday the Brain Injury Association of Washington will recognize Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, for his efforts in getting the Zackery Lystedt law through the Legislature during the 2009 legislative session.

“It’s a real honor to be recognized like this by the Brain Injury Association of Washington, especially when it is for simply doing the right thing,” said King. “I was proud to sponsor the bill in the Senate and worked across the aisle to help garner the support of my colleagues for this important piece of legislation.”

The BIA-WA will recognize King during its Concussion Prevention and Education Summit at the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences, 111 University Parkway, Cadwell Building, Room 102, in Yakima. The 9 a.m.-noon event, sponsored by the Yakima County Medical Society, is free and open to the public.

In 2009, King sponsored the Senate version of House Bill 1824, which required the adoption of policies for the management of concussions and other head injuries in youth sports. The law was named for Zackery Lystedt, a then-13-year-old Maple Valley boy who was hospitalized following a head injury during a football game. Zackery’s brain began bleeding but no one noticed until Zackery started losing his balance near the end of the game.

“It’s not unusual for children to get hurt playing sports, but concussions have had tragic consequences for some children in our state,” said King. “The Zackery Lystedt law – along with events like the Concussion Prevention and Education Summit – helps increase awareness of this issue and hopefully will lead to the proper care and treatment of these injuries statewide.”

The law requires school districts to adhere to stated policies for the management of concussion and head injury in youth sports. Youth athletes and their parents or guardians must sign a concussion and head injury form prior to the initiation of practice or competition, and a youth athlete who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury must be removed from the practice or game and not allowed to return to play until he or she has been evaluated by a licensed health care provider and has received written clearance to play.