Teacher sues over Nudgee College sports field injury

A Queensland primary school teacher who tripped up while refereeing a touch football match is suing Brisbane's prestigious Nudgee College for failing to provide a safe sporting field.

In documents filed in the Brisbane Supreme Court, Graham Ferguson claims he was refereeing a touch football game in April 2008 at grounds operated by the school at Boondall, in Brisbane's north, when he stepped into a divot on the field and fell backwards, injuring his back.

The teacher, now 40, is claiming $300,000, including $200,000 for future economic loss.

Ferguson was employed by the Corporation of the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane and working as a primary school teacher at St Joseph's Nudgee College when he was tasked with refereeing a touch football game.

During the game, as he ran backwards, he stepped into a divot and fell.

In his statement of claim, Ferguson claimed his employer ought to have known its employees would attend the playing fields to referee interschool sports and should have inspected the field prior to the incident to check for uneven surfaces or divots.

He claims there was no system in place to ensure the field was checked regularly or a close inspection of the surface was made before sporting activities games commenced.

Ferguson says the corporation is liable for allowing the field to be used while it was unsafe.

Image: Sports field at Nudgee College.