A Queens, New York, softball player has sued the city and her high school coach, alleging that the coach was negligent in instructing her about proper sliding techniques.

Alina Cerda, 15, filed suit in Queens Supreme Court claiming she busted her ankle because Francis Lewis High School coach Bryan Brown never taught her how to slide.  The suit says Cerda needed six screws and a metal plate to fuse the ankle she broke while sliding on a muddy path during a practice.  Following the accident, Cerda missed her freshman year of softball.

Cerda’s lawyer, Clay Evall, faults Brown for not providing proper instruction.  “He wasn’t instructing them whatsoever,” Evall said.  “He told her to watch the older girls do it.”

City lawyers declined to comment.

Earlier this year, a Staten Island family settled a similar lawsuit for $125,000 filed against the New Springville Little League and its parent company, Little League Baseball Incorporated, after a 12-year-old boy suffered a knee injury following a slide into second base.  In addition to the leagues, two coaches were named personally in the lawsuit.

—Sources:  NYDailyNews.com and overylawyered.com