My son has susatined serious injuries while attending a basketball camp, is the camp responsible for our damages

I would encourage you to seek legal counsel in your area because your question raises several different issues for me far beyond the question of suing for pain and suffering. Damages for pain and suffering in the past as well as in the future are a routine element of damage that lawyers seek to compensate their clients. However, you will also need to find out if you signed any waivers or releases of liability to enter your son into the basketball camp. In addition, in Texas where I practice, and probably in other states as well, injuries sustained during sporting events are considered part of the game unless the injury was inflicted intentionally, or through recklessness. Other states probably use different words, but the concept incorporates the idea that there is a risk associated with playing sports, but you have not agreed to have your son subjected to unreasonable risks and unreasonable behavior.
I wish your son a speedy recovery. And again, because of the legal issues involved in a claim of that nature, I would encourage you to promptly seek legal counsel from a lawyer in your area, especially before you provide any statements to any insurance adjusters.

You may have a cause of action against the camp for negligence depending on certain facts. You would have to prove that the camp breached a duty of care, and a result of that breach caused your son's injuries. The duty will depend on your state's statutes, however, would likely be that of reasonable care. The camp would likely claim that it was an accident and that there was nothing they could have done to prevent it. The camp also may have complete protection from suit depending on the language and enforceability of the release. It is certainly something you should look into further, and you should be able to consult with a local personal injury attorney for free who can review the release and the facts of the case and advise you how to proceed.

To recover damages for pain and suffering or any other types of damages, you must show that someone was negligent. Negligence occurs when someone had a duty, breached that duty caused damages to someone (in this case your son), and that person's negligence was the cause of the injured person's damages. The release that you signed is called an "exculpatory clause" and many states hold that they are often void as against policy policy. You should immediately call a local lawyer for a free consultation.

Act quickly. You must contact a MD lawyer to protect your son's rights.

Contact an attorney nearby to you who will be able to review the facts. There are too many possible variations from the way you have described this situation that giving a specific course of action is difficult and not warranted.

Good luck.

Disclaimer: This answer is provided as a public service and as a general response to a general question, it is not meant, and should not be relied upon as specific legal advice, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship.

If the release you signed is valid to release the camp from medical bills, it may also operate to bar you from bringing a claim for pain and suffering. Every state has different laws regarding releases and the fact that your son was a minor may mean that having one parent sign the release does not bar the other parent from bringing suit on your son's behalf. I practice only in Florida and our law is different than your State i would assume. My advice is you should sit down with a lawyer in your state which i am assuming is where the basketball camp is also. The release needs to be carefully reviewed to detemine if it puports to release only the camp, or if it also puports to release the other player who commited the foul.

I would look at the other player as another possible source of recovery in this case. It is likely he has homeowners insurance coverage through his parents insurance coverage. This may well have been a flagrant retaliation foul if your son stole the ball and was on a fast break attempting a layup when his legs were cut from under him. I had the same thing happen in High school to me so i can relate to your son. Try to secure the names of the other campers and referees, if any, and see if the game was on video. Then sit down with a lawyer and review both possible cases and whether the release operates as a defense to the case. With such a serious injury I would get at least a couple of opinions and do not assume that the release automatically defeats your son's case. Good Luck. If you cannot find a local attorney send me the release and i will try to help you.