Athlete Sues RBUSD Over Concussion Treatment

A student is suing the Redondo Beach Unified School District for negligence after she allegedly was not given proper medical treatment for a concussion she suffered during a water polo practice.

In her lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Sarah Klahr also maintains that her parents were not notified by campus officials after the incident last Nov. 19 at Redondo Union High School. She seeks unspecified damages.

Campuses such as RUHS are members of the California Interscholastic Federation, which formed a Sports Medicine Committee in 1996 that provides information on concussions, the suit states. Member institutions are told that concussions are considered brain injuries and that athletes who suffer them must be removed from a game or practice immediately, according to Klahr's suit.

An RBUSD official did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

According to the complaint, Klahr was taking part in a practice session between members of the boys' and girls' water polo teams at the high school when she was "hit in the head by a shot on goal from one of the male individuals competing."

Klahr became unconscious and slipped under water, but then resurfaced, the suit states. The coach then proceeded with the practice without summoning any care for her, the suit states.

Klahr left the practice "with a headache, feeling sluggish and not feeling right," according to the suit.

"At no time were Sarah's parents notified or told of the ... incident by anyone from the district or RUHS," the suit states.

Klahr returned to practice the next day with symptoms that included an inability to move her neck as well as pain in her neck and shoulders, according to the suit. In the ensuing months, her condition worsened to the point that pain radiated throughout her spine, the suit states.

Klahr also experienced a reduced ability to concentrate and to memorize, the suit states.

"There was a lack of supervision by the district before, during and after the incident," according to Klahr's complaint. "This increased the risk of harm to members of the RUHS's girls' water polo team including, but in no way limited to, Sarah," the suit states.

—City News Service.