Case Study 1
Sammy Adams was a promising young soccer player in the parks department soccer league. Last Sunday, when trying to tackle an opponent, Sammy broke his leg in three places. The doctors said he will never play again. Sammy’s parents, already upset with the injury, were unhappy with Coach Brown’s explanation of the incident and decided to find out exactly what happened.
They discovered that before the game Sammy had told the coach that he did not feel well and did not want to play. The coach had reminded Sammy of the game’s importance and urged him to play anyway and just “do his best.” When the team was warming up, several players noticed deep ruts in the field. Concerned about the danger of turning an ankle, the informed their coach. Coach Brown told them to try to avoid the holes and failed to raise the problem with the referee.
Midway through the first half, the accident occurred. Attempting a tackle, Sammy’s foot got caught in a rut, and the much larger opponent fell onto his fixed leg. Everyone heard a terrible crack. Coach Brown decided not to wait for an ambulance but rushed Sammy in his own car to the hospital.
Case Study 2
Ever since the new gym had been constructed, basketball coach Fred Williams had complained about problems of condensation. When it was cold outside, the walls and floors of the gym inevitably become soaked, creating dangerous playing conditions. On these days, the coach was never quite sure what to do. He did not want to cancel practice, yet he was concerned for the safety of his athletes. The coach would tell his athletes to be careful, but he knew this was not really practical because they were all competing for places on the team. Occasionally, a player would slip, but no serious injuries had occurred.
The injury to Dave Simmons was an exception. Simmons was taking part in a lay-up drill which involved players running at speed the length of the court. Simmons received the ball close to the basket and stepped to jump. His foot hit a wet patch, causing him to slip and dive headfirst into the back wall. He managed to cushion the collision a little with his hands but still suffered a severe concussion. Simmons’ parents sought legal advice and were told that there were grounds for claiming negligence.
Case Study 3
Brad Harris’s baseball team had been favored to win the district championships. As Brad stepped up to lead off batting, the playing conditions seemed ideal. Brad knew that his team was expecting a good performance from him; plus the coach had told him that several college recruiters would be watching his performance closely. On his first swing, Brad punched a sharp grounder between first and second base. Brad accelerated around first base and was midway toward second when he suddenly seemed to slip and fall. As he did, a loud “crack” echoed across the field. Holding his ankle, he rolled in agony on the turf. The team trainer was certain a bone had been fractured and called an ambulance.
One of the players standing hear the inured athlete noticed an uncovered sprinkler hole in which Brad had apparently stepped as he was sprinting between bases. When Brad’s parents heard the cause of theirson’s injury, they were angry that the danger had not been spotted earlier. With the son’s chances of a college scholarship gone, the felt justified in charging the coach with negligence.
Case Study 4
In September 1975, Christopher Thompson, a 15-year old West Seattle High School sophomore, was injured in a football game against Lindbergh High School. Thompson’s injury occurred when he was tackled while carrying the football. Just before contact, he lowered his head, striking the side of the tackling player’s helmet with the top of his helmet. Thompson received a neck injury that left him a quadriplegic. The case was brought to the courts where it was charged that the Seattle School District was negligent in not instructing Thompson properly, nor warning him of the danger of using such a technique.
Case Study 5
Brenda Ames had coached gymnastics for more than 10 years. Increased local interest in the sport had allowed her to leave her high school teaching position and concentrate full time on gymnastics. Although she coached some of the nation’s best young women, she depended upon a busy daily schedule of beginning classes for ongoing financial support.
When coaching large groups of gymnasts, Brenda had recognized the difficulty of ensuring adequate supervision. As a solution, she encouraged members of her elite gymnastics team to help withthe teaching and supervising. This worked well because the older girls were able to demonstrate correct techniques, and the beginners were inspired by the presence of these outstanding gymnasts.
The day the accident happened, a large group had been split into smaller units and each unit sent to practice on various pieces of apparatus. These smaller units consisted of three or four young girls and an experienced teenage gymnast. Brenda had explained the exercises to be practiced and left herself free to help where needed.
Suddenly, there was a scream from the vaulting area, and Brenda ran to find two girls unconscious on the floor. One was from the beginning group; the other was one of Brenda’s assistants. According to witnesses, the assistant had demonstrated a new move to the novice and offered to spot her. The beginner agreed to try but had not taken off correctly, thus landing on top of her spotter, causing them to fall backward, hitting the heavy metal legs of a nearby balance beam. An ambulance was called and both girls were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Upon hearing what happened, the parents of the beginner consulted with a lawyer to see if there were grounds for a negligence claim.
Case 1 Rewind
Before the game, Coach Brown, as usual, had walked over the playing field prior to the kick off and found the field to be in excellent condition. The accident happened when Sammy slipped and, in falling, pulled the opposing player down on top of himself. Although his opponent was much heavier, he was also far less experienced and skillful. One hearing the “crack,” Coach Brown ran quickly on to the field and prevented anyone from moving Sammy. He gave Sammy the necessary immediate first aid treatment and told an assistant coach to call for an ambulance. Medically personnel arrived quickly and transported Sammy to the hospital.