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Do i need to get a lawyer or can i sue

Asked almost 3 years ago - Chesapeake, VA

I was recently playing college basketball and i left the school because they wouldn't take care of me. My junior yr which was 07-08, i was injured in a game and was constantly complaining of a right knee problem to my coach and to the athletic trainer assigned to us. When i would tell them about it they would constantly blow it off or say it was all in my head.They assumed that it was the same pain it was tendinitis, but i would explain to them that it was a different type of pain. So for the last 3 mths of the season i had to play on it in a bunch of pain and it became worse. Just found out i have to have arthroscopic surgery and have screws put in my knee.

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I would ask to go to the doctor but they would not take me. When your an anthlete you have to go through the trainer to get a doctors appointment or they felt like you needed to go. by the way, i could not sit myself out of a game or practice, the trainer would have to go to the coach and the process would go from there if they felt like it was bad enough. So basically i was forced to play. And if you have an injury that happen during a game or somethin at the school....the school is suppose to pay for it

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Attorney answers (1)

L. Maxwell Taylor

Reputation Level 17

Answered almost 3 years ago. Appeals Lawyer in Middlebury, VT.

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I am not licensed to practice law in Virginia so the following should not be understood as legal advice, but simply as information intended to be helpful. If you need legal advice, you should consult a lawyer licensed in Virginia.

From your question it appears that you are an adult, were a legal adult at the time you were injured, and were able to make decisions for yourself including whether you were physically able to play basketball and whether you needed to see a physician because of pain. As I understand your circumstance from what you have stated above, you made a decision to play basketball in an amateur setting (i.e., it was not your *job*) and you were injured in a game. You state that "for the last 3 mths of the season i had to play on it in a bunch of pain and it became worse."

I would dispute that you "had to play on it." You did not have to play at all. You decided to play, knowing that you were in pain.

Unless there was some promise made to you by the school to provide you with free medical care if you were injured while playing basketball, I am not hopeful that there is anyone financially responsible for this injury but you.

Good luck. You should not simply accept what I say, you should consult with a lawyer licensed in Virginia.

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