Quote:
Originally posted by Elaine "Lady Blue"
I think that probably the best course of action concerning the coach in the wheelchair is have your assocation president or booking agent call the head honcho over NFHS in your state. If he deems it okay, then he is responsible for any liabitity, not the blues.
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I am not a lawyer, BUT I practice a profession that has many similarities: structural engineering (I design buildings). In my profession we have model codes for concrete, steel, timber, masonry, and seismic design. These model codes are many times adopted in total by various government entities as their design codes. When I design a building my first priority is safety, even if it means not always giving my client what he wants. It also means that I cannot not rely just on meeting the minimum design requirements required by code. I must use good enigneering judgement and assess the unique design requirements of the project.
As umpires in the field we have a unique perspective on the situation. The legislators, who write these laws, and the judges, who must interprete these laws, do not have this unique perspective, even though one would think that a judge would, considering that officiating is a lot like making interpretations of laws. When a player gets hurt because of a coach, in a wheelchair, is in the way, I can assure you that, the only persons who will be held accountable for that player's injuries will be the umpires on the field. Even though U.S. law says that the umpires must let that coach, in the wheelchair, the courts will no doubt also rule that the umpires know the hazards better than anybody of having a wheelchair bound coach on the field, and will hold the umpires and only the umpires accountable for that player's injuries.
While I do not ever want to be sued, I would rather be sued by a wheelchair bound coach because I would not let him on the field rather than be sued by the parents of a player injured by wheelchair bound coach. The lawsuit by the coach will be easier to defend, though difficult, than a lawsuit by the player's parents.