Practice point: A voluntary participant in a sport assumes the known risks normally associated with it. However, participants do not assume the risks of reckless or intentional conduct or concealed or unreasonably increased risks. While being struck in the head by a baseball is a known risk inherent in the sport, a plaintiff's deposition testimony, along with affidavits of plaintiff’s teammates, may raise a triable issue of fact as to whether an alleged cracked batter's helmet unreasonably increased the risk of injury.
Case: Fithian v. Sag Harbor Union Free School Dist., NY Slip Op 06798 (2d Dept. 2008)
The opinion is here.
