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Student Who Suffered Concussion At Water Polo Practice Sues Redondo Beach Unified For Negligence

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A student has filed a lawsuit against the Redondo Beach Unified School District, alleging negligence for not giving her proper medical treatment for a concussion she suffered during a water polo practice.

Sarah Klahr is seeking unspecified damages, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, which also alleges her parents were not notified by campus officials after the incident last Nov. 19 at Redondo Union High School.

That day, Klahr was taking part in a practice session between members of the boys' and girls' water polo teams at the school, when she was "hit in the head by a shot on goal from one of the male individuals competing," according to the lawsuit.

She became unconscious and slipped underwater, but then resurfaced, according to the complaint. The coach then proceeded with the practice without summoning any care for her, the lawsuit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, Klahr left practice "with a headache, feeling sluggish and not feeling right."

"At no time were Sarah's parents notified or told of the … incident by anyone from the district or RUHS," the lawsuit said.

Klahr returned to practice the next day with symptoms, including an inability move her neck and pain in her neck and her shoulders, the lawsuit says, and her conditioned worsened to the point that pain radiated throughout her spine in the ensuing months.

The lawsuit claims Klahr also experienced a reduced ability to concentrate and to memorize.

"There was a lack of supervision by the district before, during and after the incident," according to Klahr's complaint. "This increased the risk of harm to members of the RUHS's girls' water polo team including, but in no way limited to, Sarah," the suit states.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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