Litigation involving a former Pennsylvania high school football player, who sued the West Mifflin (Pa.) Area School District and governing bodies of high school athletics in that state, claiming the defendants did not have the proper concussion protocols in place as well as failed to adequately treat the plaintiff after he suffered a concussion in a 2009 practice, is headed to trial.
Plaintiff Shane Skillpa, a 2012 graduate of West Mifflin, filed the suit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court in 2017. In addition to the school district, he named the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. (PIAA) and the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) as defendants.
Skillpa, represented by Jones Gregg Creehan & Gerace, LLP, alleged that the coaches directed him to participate in an “Oklahoma Drill,” where two players purposefully collide to demonstrate superior athletic strength. In this instance, the collision between the plaintiff and another player cracked Skillpa’s helmet.
Skillpa’s attorneys alleged in the complaint that he was never evaluated by medical personnel. Further, he returned to practice 15 to 20 minutes later with a new helmet. The plaintiff continued to participate in practices over the next couple days, then developed flu-like symptoms, which were later diagnosed as a concussion, according to the lawsuit.
In September 2016, Skillpa was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, allegedly stemming from the concussion he suffered in August 2009. He currently suffers from cognitive impairment, organic affective disorder, and PTSD.
“He suffers from unusual light sensitivity, anxiety,” attorney Richard Sandow told the media. “He has space-related problems, memory loss, all kinds of sleep issues.”
Sandow further maintains that his client’s life expectancy has been significantly reduced because of the concussion.
The contention that the debilitating symptoms from a single concussion manifested themselves years later in a young adult is unusual.
Reportedly, Dr. Bennett Omalu and Dr. Thomas Franz are expected to testify at trial.
