Negligence and Liability

The young man, Ray Passantino, was on third base when the coach signalled for a squeeze bunt. Passantino continued full speed in an attempt to score by sliding headfirst, using his head as a “battering ram,” in order to run over the catcher and, hopefully, knock the ball loose. Justice Cohalan took the view that voluntary participation in a sports-related activity, outside of that in a normal physical education class, involves inherent risks of possible injury, and since Passantino had volunteered to participate, he alone was responsible for his misfortune. In addition, Justice Cohalan claimed that Passantino should have assumed the risks associated with sliding headfirst. The possibility of potential liability suits for neglecting to adequately teach students the fundamental inherent dangers of participating in any sport obviously affected administrators, teachers, coaches, and school boards.