You’re a college soccer player in Michigan, participating in one of the biggest games of the season. Late in the second half, you sprint toward the ball and plant your foot, only to catch your cleat in a deep rut on the worn-out turf. The field had been in bad shape for weeks, but complaints were brushed off. Your leg twists under your weight, and you collapse in pain. Hours later, a doctor confirms a torn ACL. The injury could take months to heal, and it may cost you a scholarship offer that was almost within reach.
As the shock wears off, the questions begin. Could this have been prevented? Can someone be held legally responsible? In this guide, we’ll review when a sports injury may give you the right to sue, how Michigan law applies to these cases, and what situations could point to negligence or misconduct.
How Do Sports-Related Injuries Happen?
Athletic injuries can happen during competition, practice, or training. While some are unavoidable, others occur because of poor decision-making, neglected responsibilities, or unsafe conditions. To understand when legal action might be possible, it’s helpful to look at how these injuries typically occur.
Common causes of professional and school sports-related injuries include:
- Player Collisions: Physical contact between athletes can cause traumatic brain injuries, fractures, dislocations, and soft tissue injuries. These incidents are more likely when games are poorly officiated or players aren’t held to proper conduct standards.
- Overtraining and Inadequate Rest: When athletes are pushed beyond safe performance limits without enough time to recover, they may develop stress fractures, muscle strains, knee injuries, or chronic joint pain. These injuries usually result from excessive conditioning sessions or poor planning by the coaching staff.
- Improper Technique or Coaching: Coaches have a duty to teach safe form and correct mechanics. Faulty instruction in lifting, tackling, landing, or throwing can lead to ligament injuries, elbow strain, and even spinal cord injuries.
- Unsafe Playing Surfaces: Fields, courts, and gym floors that are uneven, poorly maintained, or littered with hazards can cause slips, trips, or falls. Torn turf, loose floorboards, or standing water frequently play a role in preventable injuries.
- Defective or Worn-Out Equipment: Helmets, pads, footwear, and other gear must meet safety standards. When equipment is damaged or poorly fitted, it fails to protect the athlete and may contribute to serious harm, like head injuries or broken bones
- Lack of Medical Oversight: Without qualified trainers or access to emergency care, injuries may go untreated or worsen. Delay in response time or failure to remove an injured player can increase the risk of permanent damage.
While some injuries may be expected during sports training or games, others happen because someone didn’t meet their responsibility to keep the players as safe as reasonably possible. Now let’s take a look at how Michigan law treats the concept of assumption of risk and how it can affect your ability to bring a claim.
Sports and Assumption of Risk: What You Need to Know
In Michigan, the legal concept of assumption of risk impacts cases involving sports injuries. In short, when you voluntarily participate in an athletic activity, the law generally assumes that you accept the possibility of getting hurt. This applies to injuries that are part of the normal rules and expectations of the sport. For example, if you get tackled in football or take an elbow during a basketball rebound, those events are considered part of the game.
However, not every injury falls under this protection. The assumption of risk only applies to known and reasonable dangers. If someone injures you by acting in a way that goes beyond the accepted rules of play, the legal protection may not apply. This can include behavior that’s reckless, intentional, or unrelated to the sport itself. For example, if a coach ignores repeated complaints about a dangerous field condition or forces you to keep playing with a clear injury, the defense of assumed risk may no longer hold up in court.
During a personal injury lawsuit, the court will examine whether the injury occurred within the ordinary course of the sport or as a result of unsafe or unnecessary conduct. Understanding this distinction is important, especially if you believe your injury could have been avoided if someone else hadn’t been negligent.
Negligence in Sports Injuries
Negligence is one of the most common grounds for filing a sports injury lawsuit. To prove negligence under Michigan law, you’ll need to establish four separate elements:
- Duty of Care: You must show that the other party had a legal responsibility to act with reasonable care toward your safety. This can include coaches, trainers, school officials, referees, or facility owners.
- Breach of Duty: You must prove that the party failed to meet that responsibility. This could involve ignoring safety rules, skipping equipment checks, or allowing unsafe playing conditions.
- Causation: You need to demonstrate a clear link between the breach of duty and your injury. In other words, the harm you suffered must be a direct result of the unsafe action or condition.
- Damages: Finally, you must show that the injury caused measurable harm. This can include medical bills, lost scholarships, reduced playing time, or permanent physical limitations.
Negligence may come into play in many different professional and school sports settings:
- A team continues to practice during a lightning storm or extreme heat without proper precautions, and a player becomes injured.
- A coach pressures an athlete to train through visible pain or refuses to allow medical attention after a blow to the head.
- A facility ignores maintenance requests for torn turf, broken nets, or rusted weight equipment until a player is finally injured.
Even poor staffing or supervision can be enough to show negligence. If a school leaves young athletes unsupervised during practice and one is seriously injured, the lack of oversight may be considered a breach of duty.
In all of these examples, the court will look at what a reasonable person in that position should have done. If someone failed to respond appropriately to a potentially dangerous situation and you’re injured as a result, you may have grounds for a lawsuit.
Intentional Torts in Sports Injuries
While many sports injuries happen because of carelessness, some result from actions that are deliberate. In these cases, Michigan law allows injured athletes to bring a claim based on an intentional tort. This type of claim is different from negligence because it involves conduct that goes beyond a mistake or lapse in judgment.
Battery
One of the most common intentional torts in sports is battery, which involves intentional physical contact meant to cause injury. This could include a player throwing a punch after the whistle, a coach grabbing an athlete in anger, or someone delivering a hit far outside the rules of play. Since they’re not part of the game, these actions aren’t protected by the assumption of risk doctrine.
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
Another potential claim is intentional infliction of emotional distress. This can arise when someone’s intentional conduct is extreme, threatening, or abusive. Hazing, verbal abuse, and acts meant to humiliate or degrade athletes may support this type of lawsuit, especially if they result in lasting psychological damage. These cases can be difficult to prove, but they are sometimes brought alongside physical injury claims when the conduct is particularly severe.
Specific Scenarios Where Athletes Might Sue
Some injuries fall outside the accepted risks of competitive play. Michigan law allows injured athletes to bring claims in a wide range of situations, provided the facts support liability.
Intentional Acts During Competition
Athletes can expect physical contact in many sports, but some actions go too far. As we indicated in the previous section, a player who punches another during a stoppage or launches a late hit with no intent to play the ball acts outside the rules. These cases may support claims for battery because the contact serves no competitive purpose and shows intent to harm.
Inadequate Safety Protocols
Sports organizations, coaches, and program staff must take reasonable steps to keep athletes safe. When they ignore heat advisories, skip injury checks, or run practices without supervision, they put players at risk. Failing to enforce concussion protocols or continuing play after a dangerous incident can lead to injuries that should have been prevented.
Defective Equipment
Players rely on safety gear that performs as intended. When helmets crack during normal use or shoes cause loss of footing due to poor construction, the sports equipment may be to blame. You may have a product liability claim if a defect in design, materials, or maintenance caused your injury.
Medical Malpractice After Injury
Athletic injuries need prompt evaluation and medical treatment. When a trainer misreads symptoms, delays care, or sends an injured athlete back into play too early, the consequences can be serious. Malpractice claims may apply when the care provided falls below accepted medical standards and makes your sports injuries even worse..
Challenges in Suing for a Sports Injury
Filing a claim after a sports injury isn’t always easy. Michigan courts apply strict standards when evaluating these cases, especially if the injury occurred during regular play. You must present clear evidence of fault, which can be difficult under certain conditions. Below are some common defenses applied to sports injury lawsuits.
Assumption of Risk
As we discussed earlier, Michigan applies the assumption of risk doctrine in many sports injury cases. If the conduct that caused the injury was part of regular competition, the court may determine that the risk was accepted. To proceed, you must show that the conduct went beyond the expected scope of the sport or that a preventable hazard played a role.
Governmental Immunity
Public schools and universities tend to have immunity from certain claims. To hold an employee or institution responsible, the injured person must show that gross negligence contributed to their injury. This standard requires evidence that someone acted with clear disregard for your safety, not simply that they made a mistake or used poor judgment.
Medical Malpractice Requirements
Claims involving improper medical care must meet specific filing rules in Michigan. This includes submitting a signed affidavit from a medical provider who believes the treatment caused your injury or made it worse. These cases rely on expert opinions and detailed records that show how and why the care failed.
Pressure to Avoid Filing
Athletes often hesitate to take legal action, even when they’ve been seriously injured. Concerns about team relationships, future sports eligibility, or reputational damage may cause delays. Waiting too long can affect your ability to collect evidence and meet time limits that apply to these claims.
How Can a Sports Injury Lawyer Help?
If you sustained a serious injury while participating in organized sports, a personal injury lawyer can help you evaluate your options. These cases involve complex liability questions and procedural rules that affect whether a claim can proceed. An experienced attorney can assess the circumstances, identify potential claims, and advise you on the best course of action.
They can also:
- Preserve Key Evidence: This may include incident reports, medical evaluations, video footage, maintenance records, or witness testimony. When appropriate, your lawyer can retain qualified experts to support your claim and prepare formal statements that establish how the injury occurred and who may be responsible.
- Meet All Procedural Rules: Claims involving schools, medical providers, or equipment manufacturers normally carry strict procedural requirements. For example, cases against public institutions may require advance written notice within a short statutory window. Failing to comply with these rules can prevent the case from moving forward. An attorney will ensure that your claim meets all necessary deadlines and evidentiary standards.
- Demand Full and Fair Compensation: Your attorney can manage communications, evaluate settlement offers from the insurance company, and prepare for trial if needed. When the injury affects your ability to work, compete, or continue your education, legal representation allows you to pursue a fair settlement while minimizing further disruption to your life.
Get a Free Consultation From a Michigan Sports Injury Attorney
Injuries are an expected part of sports, but some happen because another party failed to act responsibly. When that failure leads to long-term damages like chronic pain and diminished athletic opportunities, you may have the right to take action. These cases are never simple, especially when the injury occurs during a game or under the care of a school or team. Still, Michigan law allows athletes to seek recovery in situations involving misconduct, unsafe conditions, or inadequate care.
If you believe your injury could have been prevented, it’s worth speaking with someone who understands how these cases work. A personal injury attorney at the Lee Steinberg Law Firm can help you assess what happened, determine whether a claim makes sense for your situation, and file a lawsuit if it does. To schedule a free initial consultation, call our personal injury law firm today at 1-800-LEE-FREE (1-800-533-3733) or fill out our online contact form.