Found an issue on this page? Let us know and we will look into it as soon as possible.
Is the high school football coach negligent for not giving my son water and he suffered a heatstroke?
Anonymous9 views6 answers
On 9-8-14 my son was playing in a football scrimmage the coach refused to give him water after 2 hours on the field. He suffered a heatstroke and has been to several doctors with severe headaches lasting since 9-8-14. He is also having to be homebound from school since the headaches are so severe he cant attend school. The heat index for that day was in the danger zone and water and ice towels were supposed to be available according to the TSSAA website. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Christian K. Lassen IIPersonal Injury LawyerPhiladelphia, PA ·
He could be, and you are likely following all the lawsuits with respect to concussions on the field. Not sure if this is a public or private school, but know that there are extremely short notice requirements for public schools, so best to have a local personal injury lawyer investigate immediately. has a terrific lawyer finder tool.
A high school coach (and if an employee or agent of the high school the school as well) can be found to be negligent for how they treat players. The devil is in the details.
Be sure to continue to get continue to get medical treatment for your son and follow the doctor's advice.
I urge you to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer and let he or she begin the factual investigation necessary to determine whether the claim can be successfully brought. I would encourage you to act quickly because there are deadlines for bringing legal action.
Bryan Lee CappsPersonal Injury LawyerKnoxville, TN ·
If the coach negligently or consciously disregarded the heat and the needs of your son and other players such as water, ice, rest, etc., he certainly could be found responsible for resulting injuries. Heatstroke could also lead to long-term issues, but you would need a qualified doctor to testify about whether your son's continuing issues are related to the event.
If you wish to pursue a possible claim, I would strongly encourage you to consult with a qualified personal injury attorney in East Tennessee as soon as possible. The strength of any claim would depend on several facts and witnesses, and so an early investigation is critical.
As the other attorneys have stated, you need to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible as you may very well have a case against both the coach and the school district. Not only are there deadlines for filing a claim (such as the 1 year statute of limitations for filing personal injury actions in Tennessee), but it is also important to begin a factual investigation including the interviewing of any witnesses as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more difficult it will become to track down witnesses and conduct a proper factual investigation of the case.
