SEQUIM — Former football player Adrien Gault is suing the Sequim School District and Sequim Chiropractic Clinic for damages related to brain injuries suffered in 2006.
The lawsuit — filed in Clallam County Superior Court on Jan. 13 by a Seattle law firm — alleges that the district failed to follow established protocol in allowing Gault to return to play after multiple concussions, then failed to provide him special instruction upon his return to school.
Chiropractic clinic named
Also named in the lawsuit is Sequim Chiropractic Clinics owner and operator, Robert D. Bean and his wife.
Sequim School District Superintendent Bill Bentley declined to comment.
Bean was unavailable for comment Thursday.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for past and future mental and physical pain and suffering, loss of the ability to enjoy life, disability and disfigurement.
It also seeks past and future medical expenses, as well as loss of earnings, impairment of earning capacity and other unspecified damages.
The lawsuit alleges that Bean was not qualified to medically clear Gault to return to play after multiple concussions, including one in which he had to be taken off the field in a stretcher.
The suit says Bean lacked the necessary specialized training and knowledge to make such a decision.
It states that the district “either knew or should have known this fact,” about the chiropractor.
Even if Bean had been qualified, according to the suit, the district failed to meet the accepted standard protocol for making return-to-play decisions that included constant testing to make sure symptoms did not return.
Playing days
Gault, 20, was a member of the Wolves football program from 2003-06, starting on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball as a cornerback and running back.
He slipped into a coma on the sideline during the second quarter of a game against North Mason on Oct. 20, 2006. He was a senior at Sequim High School.
He had collided violently with a teammate during warm-ups prior to the game. He played a little more than a quarter before collapsing on the sideline following his only carry of the game.
Gault suffered a subdural hematoma that night, a traumatic brain injury that causes it to bleed and swell.
After he was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, doctors cut away a piece of his skull to relieve pressure on his brain.
The lawsuit alleges that Gault was taken out of the game after complaining about headaches but was not immediately referred for a medical examination.
It also alleges that the district was aware of numerous concussions suffered by Gault prior to Oct. 20, except for one sustained while playing baseball.
It specifically refers to one concussion suffered during a game against Port Angeles at Civic Field on Sept. 8, 2006, in which Gault had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
Upon receiving clearance from Bean following the Port Angeles game, Gault returned to practice but did not participate in contact drills. He played in three games prior to the Oct. 20 contest against North Mason.
The lawsuit alleges that Gault repeatedly displayed post-concussion symptoms during this time.
Yet despite these symptoms, the district did not refer him for medical assessment or have him seek the required medical clearance to return to play, it says.
The day-to-day decision on whether or not Gault participated in practice was made by the teenager, while his parents were not alerted, according to the lawsuit.
Injury ‘lingers’
During an interview with the Peninsula Daily News in May 2009, Gault said that his injury still lingered.
He still didn’t have full control of his left arm and suffered recurring headaches and lapses in his memory, he said.
“I do see some effects, but it’s more the people around me that notice it,” said Gault last May.
“There is definitely a me before and a me after.”
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Sports Reporter Matt Schubert can be reached at 360-417-3538 or at matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.
