Wrongful Death Case in Florida
Jurors in Florida heard arguments yesterday in a lawsuit filed by the family of a 16 year-old boy who died while training at the IMG Academy’s International Performance Institute. According to the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family's lawyer, the sports academy should have performed a thorough enough physical examination before allowing the child to participate in strenuous exercise. The lawsuit also claims that the school ignored the fact that the child's father died of a heart condition at 33, a fact the lawsuit claims should have prompted further review of the child's health.
The death of a 16 year-old boy is just an unspeakably awful tragedy. Also bear in mind the caveat that the basis for my opinions is reading a newspaper article - an awful way to evaluate evidence.
That said, I'd have a hard time finding liability if I were a juror under the "school should have given the child a physical" theory. A 16 year-old boy's parents should know that playing basketball is exercising intensely. Parents should not be able to pass that duty onto a school or anyone. I don't blame his mother or anyone else for not getting the boy a physical. It is easy to see how someone could misinterpret the health of a handsome boy who looks very physically fit (the article has a picture). But I'm not sure blaming the school is fair, either.
