West Bonner County school district facing two lawsuits

SANDPOINT - The West Bonner County School District is being hit with a pair of negligence lawsuits over injuries to junior varsity football players.

One suit alleges a JV coach flung a partially full water bottle at a player's face, causing a laceration and a concussion. The other alleges an improperly equipped player suffered permanent vision impairment after being struck in the eye with a football during practice.

Both suits were filed in 1st District Court on Thursday. Each suit seeks damages in excess of $10,000.

Sandpoint attorney Brent Featherston filed the suits on behalf of student athletes Michael Clayton Ludolph and Thomas Reynolds, who were injured in separate incidents in Priest River last year.

Featherston said in court documents that Ludolph was injured when JV Coach Jake Stark threw a plastic bottle at the player's face during a half-time pep talk, catching him on the bridge of the nose. Ludolph was given first aid for the resulting cut, but it was later determined was also concussed.

"They sent him out and played him in the second half," Featherston said on Friday.

The Ludolph suit further alleges that school district officials knew Stark had a history of being violent and abusive, but continued to employ him. Along with negligence, assault and battery are listed as causes of action.

Featherston maintains in the other suit that Reynolds was injured when coaching staff discouraged him from wearing a helmet while running passing routes during practice. Reynolds was struck in the left eye by a football.

Reynolds sat out the rest of practice and was sent home.

Within three days of the injury, Reynolds underwent eye surgery to repair a detached retina, but doctors later determined that the damage is permanent.

"It's going to be a permanent (partial vision) loss," Featherston said.

Featherston said Reynolds lost the center field of vision in his left eye, but still has some peripheral vision.

Both suits allege that school officials failed to notify the student's parents that their sons were injured during team functions.