A boy, who suffered a traumatic brain injury due to playing high school football, has been awarded 4.4 million dollars in school sports injury compensation in an out-of-court negotiated settlement.
Scott Eveland (22) from San Marcos, California, collapsed on the side of the pitch after playing the first half of a high school American football game for the Mission Hills High School Grizzlies in September 2007.
He was rushed to hospital where doctors identified extensive internal bleeding around Scott´s brain and were only able to save his life by removing part of his skull. As a result of his injuries, Scott is unable to stand or walk and can only communicate through a specially designed keyboard.
After taking legal advice from a personal injury attorney, Scott´s mother – Diane – made a claim for school sports injury compensation against the San Marcos Unified School District, alleging that the football team´s head coach had ignored signs that Scott was in distress prior to the game and refused Scott´s requests to sit out.
Diane´s allegations were supported by a former teammate of Scott, who testified in a deposition that Scott had complained to the team´s athletic trainer about having headaches a week before the incident and had missed several practice sessions. The teammate also confirmed that Scott had asked to sit the game out a few minutes before the first quarter started, but his request was denied.
The out of court school sports injury compensation settlement of 4.4 million dollars was made without admission of liability, and a joint statement was issued in which both sides agreed “the settlement did not suggest that the staff of the Mission Hills High School intentionally contributed to the unfortunate and tragic accident that occurred during a high school football game”.