Question

Read the Moot Court Case found in chapter 3 of our textbook. What are your thoughts on the situation? Did Doug properly handle the situation? What would you have done if you had been in charge? Develop a safety-plan for youth sport programs on particularly hot days. Be thorough and specific with your answers.

Doug was the supervisor of an after-school sport program (run by ASP, Inc.). Doug was also an avid fan of dodgeball, having played the sport since childhood, and he enjoyed the adrenaline rush and competitive nature of the game. Dodgeball was just one sport in a series of activities provided by the after-school sport program that included kickball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and various other games.
On a particularly hot day in early August, Doug was supervising a group of eight 6th graders in an outdoor basketball game. The children were complaining about the heat, and the heat appeared to be taking a toll on several of them. Doug, mindful of the dangers of heat illness, believed that it was best to take his group inside. It was getting late in the day anyway, and only an hour was left until activities ended for the day. Doug took the children inside into a multipurpose play area that was set up for volleyball. Christie, a counselor with the program, was with her group of 8th graders, who were playing volleyball. She also had eight in her group. Doug suggested that they play dodgeball because Christie’s group was tired of playing volleyball, and putting both groups together on one volleyball court didn’t seem like a good idea. Doug suggested that they take down the net. They would leave the posts up and just warn the players to stay away from them because taking them down was too much work. Doug and Christie split the groups so that each team had four 6th graders and four 8th graders. They also warned the children about the volleyball posts. The children began play and seemed to enjoy it. To make the game more interesting, players who were hit with the ball would sit out for only a few minutes and could then return to the game. They were instructed to sit behind the volleyball posts near the centerline when hit by a ball.
Suzie was one of the 6th graders in Doug’s group. Despite her age, she was one of the best players on the court. While throwing a ball, she was struck in the waist by a ball thrown by a member of the opposing team. Suzie was disappointed but ran to the sidelines to sit out. As she was running, a ball thrown by an 8th grader on the other team struck her ankle and she lost her balance. Suzie fell forward and struck one of the volleyball posts with the side of her head. Both counselors immediately came to her aid and asked her how she felt. She said that her head hurt somewhat but that she was OK and wanted to keep playing. Doug and Suzie looked for swelling but saw none. Although they knew she had struck the post with a lot of force, they decided that she could keep playing. Thirty minutes later, the game ended. Suzie told Doug that her head was hurting worse. The class was ending in 10 minutes, and parents were already arriving to pick up their children. Doug wasn’t sure of the policy or standards relevant to head injuries, but he asked Christie to call 911. She went to make the call. She returned 10 minutes later and said that she was delayed because she didn’t know that she needed to dial 9 first to call out. She finally figured this out on her own. By this time, Suzie was nauseous and incoherent and could not stand up. Her mother had just arrived and was holding her. The ambulance arrived 10 minutes later and took Suzie to the hospital. It was determined later that she had suffered a serious head injury. Suzie’s mother sued Doug and ASP, Inc., for negligence.

Answer 1

The situation is a freak incident of injury caused during an sporting event. This might happen at anytime during any sporting event and has nothing to do with weather. However, Doug and Christie should have acted cautiously, as they saw the girl being injured and believed that it could be a serious injury. They should not have allowed the girl to play further, and sought medical assistance as soon as possible, because they were not medically qualified to judge the severity of injury, and it would always have been better to be proactive. The other in charge, Christie was not prepared to deal with such emergency situations which caused further delay of 10 minutes, thereby led to deterioration of the situation further.

Doug should have planned his day in a better way so as not to take the children in unfamiliar situations, which could land them in trouble. He should also not have let the children of different age groups to play together where troubles can arise due to difference in their physical attributes. He should have been proactive in his approach, even if he did not see any apparent risk. If I would have been the in charge, I would not have taken chances and took the girl to the hospital immediately if I realised it could be a grievous injury. Time is a crucial factor in head injuries, and early treatment could have led to better consequences.

Safety plan-

(a) Assessment of the day's weather before start of the class, and scheduling of the sporting activities ( indoors and outdoors) accordingly.

(b) Designating the play areas for different age groups. Not to mix the children of two age groups

(c) Identify the potential sites that could cause injuries to the children and make sure that children don't contact them.

(d) Charting out an emergency plan with the standard operating procedure in case of a medical emergency.

(e) Training all employees in emergency handling procedures.

(f) Ensure that there is adequate provision of fluids and hydrants during summer days, and ensure that the children are being kept hydrated while playing on hot summer days. Similarly for colder days, proper insulation should be taken care of.

(g) Training the children to adopt safety measures while on and off the field. Ensure that instructors keep monitoring them at all times.