Florida High School Lacrosse Player Sues After Allegedly Sustaining Head Injury During Game
Kendalle Holley and her parents claim she suffered a traumatic brain injury.
— -- A high school lacrosse star and her parents have filed a lawsuit after they say a concussion-causing blow to the head during a game caused the teenager to suffer a traumatic brain injury.
Kendalle Holley and her parents, David and Aimee Holley, have filed a negligence lawsuit against Orange County, Florida, the Florida High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) and the former high school player who allegedly hit Kendalle while scrambling for the ball during a high school lacrosse game in February 2015.
The lawsuit claims the alleged hit by Timber Creek High School's Ellie Yenor, a former Florida High School Player of the Year, resulted in a traumatic brain injury for Kendalle, who was 14 at the time.
The lawsuit, filed in April, alleges that a lack of immediate medical attention for Kendalle resulted in the injury worsening since she continued to play after she had been struck in the head.
“We need to bring attention to this matter before another child gets something worse,” Aimee Holley told ABC News.
The family claims Kendalle was evaluated by a team trainer only after the lacrosse game and that Kendalle, who played for East River High School, was kept in the game even though she showed signs of having a concussion.
“I went back behind the bleachers and I vomited and then I just collapsed in the parking lot,” she said.
FHSAA guidelines on concussion protocols require removing a player from a game if he or she shows signs of a head injury. Kendalle’s coach told ABC News that neither the head hit nor concussion symptoms were apparent to him.
The FHSAA told ABC News they “cannot comment because it is an ongoing legal matter.” Orange County referred ABC News to the Orange County School District, which declined to comment.
Yenor did not reply to ABC News.
Kendalle's family told ABC News her personality still isn't the same as pre-concussion but that the teen is "fighting back" to return to her normal self.
The lawsuit is asking for compensatory damages in excess of $15,000, a trial by jury, and any other relief the court may deem "just and appropriate."
