Serious Injury Procedure for Referees

 

To download this document click HERE

 

(Click HERE to read an important RFU article about court cases)

 

It is now often the case that following a serious injury in a match an injured party might seek to claim damages.  In some cases the claim will be against the person that assaulted him/her.  In less obvious cases, such as a collapsed scrum or kick received in a ruck situation they could conceivably make out a case against the referee on grounds of negligence.

 

For your protection in every case involving a serious injury please adopt the following procedure:

 

As soon as possible after the match make a brief note of the circumstances as you became aware of them.  Include:

location on pitch,

weather conditions,

pitch conditions,

injuries observed,

persons present,

statements made at time

time of injury,

medical treatment provided, i.e. on the spot or removed by ambulance,

history

pitch conditions

 

If the injury was a result of a collapsed scrummage, how many collapses could you recall to reach that stage?

If you had officially appointed touch judges get them to witness, sign and date your note.

Retain the note for possible future evidence.

A note made straight after the game will carry considerably more weight in court than one made some time later.

Subsequently make a full statement of the facts from your notes.

For R.F.U. appointments submit your report to the Referee Department.

For Society appointments forward a copy to your Society Secretary.