Silly Lawsuit Alert: Coach Sued for Teaching Poor Slide

"Look before you leap" is a popular phrase used to warn people that they need to be aware of what they are getting into before starting. 

It should also apply to a recent case out of Queens, New York involving a high school softball injury.  Fifteen year old Alina Cerda is suing the City Education Department, her high school, and her high school softball coach for failing to properly instruct her on sliding techniques which, in turn, led to her broken ankle on a failed sliding attempt.  Her argument rests on the school's alleged failure to hire a competent coach and the coach’s negligence in instructing on an aspect of the game. 

Sports are inherently dangerous and because of the potential for a variety of foreseen and unforeseen injuries, it is the participants that should be prepared for them the best they can and not instigate silly lawsuits.  There are, of course, those instances in which a school would be held responsible but most injuries are the result of the individual behavior. 

So, to what extent can a school be held liable for the injuries sustained by players?  LegalMatch provides some instances in which schools have been found liable for injuries:

• permitting injured, unfit, or unequal players to compete

• providing unsafe facilities or equipment

• negligently moving an injured player

• failure to employ a competent coach 
  

• failure to provide proper supervision or training 
  

I think somebody needs to talk to these people about assumption of risk and contributory negligence.  The basic gist of the concept is that an individual voluntarily and knowingly assumed the risks at issue inherent to the dangerous activity in which he was participating at the time of his injury.  

For instance, sliding into a base is a part of playing baseball or softball and so a player would implicitly assume any risks involved with it.  Getting shot by a gun while playing would not be an aspect a player would be expected to be prepared for.  I think it is totally ridiculous to place all the responsibility of playing a game on the coach, especially at the high school level where there is such a range of athletic abilities.  Hopefully, the judge will see that this case has no merit!