As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, eventually our children will go back to school full-time. For anyone who enjoys playing team sports—and is hoping to get a scholarship based on athletic performance—this is an exciting prospect. Millions of American high school students play at least one sport.
Unfortunately, playing sports comes with the possibility of injury. According to Stanford Children’s Health, there are more than 3.5 million sports injuries per year. A good number of these are contact and collision-related injuries (including traumatic brain injury), but they can happen in any sport.
If your child has been injured while playing high school sports, it may be due to the school’s negligence. If you suspect that your child’s injury could have been avoided, an attorney may be able to help you get compensation.
Assumption of Risk
Courts generally find that playing sports means that the athletes are aware that there is some risk to their health. By voluntarily playing the sport, they’re considered to have “assumed the risk”—that is, they’ve agreed to take the chance that they’ll get hurt. In fact most, if not all, schools require student athletes to sign a waiver of liability.
Public vs. Private Schools
Whether your child attends a public or private school can affect whether you can sue. In public schools, team sports are considered a vital part of the curriculum, and their government funding shields them from sports-related liability. Finally, any waivers the students and parents signed should protect them.
Private schools may have different requirements and regulations, however. If your child was injured at a private school, their policies may not be as limiting.
Negligence at School
Although you may not be able to sue for most sports-related injuries at school, there are some cases where you can show that the school was acting negligently. For example, inadequate supervision and allowing unfit or injured students to participate can put the students in danger. Unqualified coaches, failing to train properly, and moving an injured student without appropriate medical attention can also qualify as negligence.
Depending on your specific circumstances, these situations may be enough to prove that the school failed in their duty of care to your child. If their negligence was the cause of your child’s injuries, you may be able to recover damages for medical expenses and other associated costs.
Discuss Your Case with an Ohio Personal Injury Attorney Today
Has your child been injured thanks to negligent high school coaches? I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at 877.944.4373 today for more information. I’ll be happy to discuss your case and whether you have grounds to seek financial compensation.
