Many teens these days participate in some type of sports activity, whether it is playing soccer for a local club or playing football for a school team. Parents believe that their children are in good hands because they trust the coaches and trainers to properly teach their children on how to play the sport. Not only do the coaches teach the children the skills and techniques they need to play the sport, they also need to have the knowledge and ability to prepare and condition the players physically so they are ready to participate in the sport.
In any sport, there is a set of skills a player must learn and possess in order to play the sport. If players are not properly trained on performing a skill specific to the sport, they are at a high risk of injuring themselves. For example, soccer players often use their heads to stop or pass a ball, and coaches have to properly teach the players how to use their heads in order to avoid a head injury.
Another example of a situation where players can get seriously hurt if they are not properly trained is tackling in football. It is vital in football for the athletes to know how to tackle another player properly.
When a player does not know how to tackle, he may end up hurting another player and/or himself by hitting the other player with his helmet, resulting in a helmet to helmet hit, which is dangerous because it often leads to a concussion or a serious brain injury.
Coaches have a duty to physically condition their players to ensure that they are physically ready to play in a game. For example, when a new player joins a football team, a coach shouldn’t throw the player in a game the day after. Coaches need to get a player in shape and ready to participate in a game. This doesn’t happen overnight; there is progressive training.
If players are thrown in the game before they are physically ready, they can sustain serious injuries.
If your child or a loved one sustained a sports injury due to a coach’s negligence, he/she may be entitled to compensation. Your child shouldn’t have to suffer because of someone’s negligence. Call Daniel J. O’Brien, a PA and NJ sports injury lawyer who has helped other young athletes recover damages in their sports injury accident cases. Call today for a free consultation at 877.944.8396.