Competitive Swimmer is Paralyzed During Swim Practice

Case Overview

This action sports case involves a male college student in Indiana who participated in his school’s division III swim team, under the guidance and supervision of his coach. On the date of the incident in question, he was instructed to practice starting dives in shallow water in the university pool while using diving blocks. While diving, the plaintiff fractured his spine and is now paraplegic, and has had to undergo extensive neuromuscular and functional electrical stimulation (FES) therapy to attempt to regain his muscle control. It was claimed that the coach was negligent in instructing the athlete to practice diving in such shallow water.