Does A Child Sport's Waiver Form Relinquish You Of Your Right To Sue?

When your child asked to join a sport, he or she probably provided you with a waiver form you had to sign. The organization offering the sport created the form and required you to sign it in order for your child to play the game. If your child ended up injured while participating in the sport, does this waiver relinquish your rights to sue? This question can best be answered by a personal injury attorney, and it will depend on several different factors.

Was It A Normal Injury?

The first factor that affects your ability to sue in this situation is the nature of the injury. When you sign a waiver form, you are basically saying that you understand the risks of playing this particular sport. While every sport has different risks, there are always chances that injuries can occur. If the injury is something that can easily happen during the sport your child was playing, you most likely will not be able to sue. Injuries like this can occur in many ways, and here are some examples:

• A child trips while playing soccer, and the trip results in a broken arm.
• A child falls during a basketball game and sprains his or her ankle.
• A child playing football is tackled hard and ends up with an injured leg.

These are all normal injuries you can expect if your child participates in sports, and these are the types of injuries those waivers are for.

Was It A Result Of Negligence Or Fault Of Another Person?

The other main factor that affects your rights involves negligence on the part of someone else or the organization. If your child's coach causes harm to the child, or if the organization fails to maintain the playing field or court, you might have a case.

Signing a waiver to allow your child to play does not give the organization, coaches, or management the right to harm children or fail to maintain the equipment or property the kids use for the sport. Here are some examples of accidents that you may have a right to sue for:

• Your child's coach pushes your child and causes an injury.
• Your child trips on a soccer field because of a large hole the organization failed to fix.
• The child falls off the bench because the bench was rotten or faulty.

Another example of this involves injuries that occur while kids are traveling to a game. If the organization drives a bus with all the players and the bus is involved in an accident, you might be able to sue for the damages involved in the accident. It would really depend on who was at fault for the accident.

How Can You Tell If You Have A Case?

If you are trying to determine what to do after an injury has occurred with your child, you would be better off making an appointment with a personal injury lawyer, like those at Bulluck Law Group. When you go to the appointment, bring the waiver form with you. The attorney will need to carefully read over the wording on the form to determine its validity, and you will also need to explain the nature and extent of the injuries. With this information, the attorney will be able to determine how to proceed from there.

There are always risks when children play sports, but this does not mean the organization and management can fail to comply with their responsibilities and obligations. If you would like to find out what your rights are after your child was injured during a sports activity, contact a personal injury attorney in your area.