Sports injury compensation falls under assault and battery in Ontario

If you are like many Canadian adults, you probably enjoy playing recreational sports in your free time. As anyone who’s spent time watching and playing sports knows, tempers can flare during a game, resulting in injury to one or more of the players.

While a player may expect a certain degree of risk of injury in many sports, use of excessive violence is not generally tolerated. Sports organizations often have rules that govern conduct. When the rules of conduct are ignored, there may be a variety of sanctions imposed on a player. Suspension from play is one common consequence of aggressive behaviour.

Aggressive players may also expose themselves to legal liability for injuries caused on the field or ice. Typically, a sports injury claim would fall into the category of assault and/or battery.

Assault and battery are often confused and they have different and distinct legal meanings in the civil (tort) and criminal contexts. In tort law, an assault means to put a person in immediate fear (or apprehension) of physical injury or offensive contact. This may include verbal attacks.  A battery, in tort law, refers to actual physical contact with another individual.

If you are seriously injured while playing a sport, you may be entitled to claim damages to compensate you for your injuries. Our lawyers will evaluate your claim and help you recover the compensation you deserve.

CBC Radio1 continues the discussion on sports related aggression in their broadcast  “Non-Contact hockey leagues” about new leagues in Toronto, Burlington, Whitby, and Barrie.