Portland injury attorney

Girl Injured After Hit in the Head by Shotput at Molalla High School

Date: April 12, 2011
Location: Molalla High School
Name: Unidentified teen girl

A 14-year-old girl was airlifted to Oregon Health and Science University Hospital after she was accidentally struck in the head by a shotput.

A Molalla Fire District emergency crew responded to the Molalla High School track at 357 Francis St. at about 4:30pm after receiving a call about the injury. A medical helicopter was then dispatched to the field and the girl was transported with a possible skull fracture.

The Molalla Fire District spokeswoman, Lt. Denise Everheart, declined to release the girl’s name because of the girl’s age and patient privacy laws. She also did not know the facts of exactly how the girl was injured. The girl’s medical condition has not been updated.

Our hearts go out to this young girl, and hope that she will recover completely. We are always distressed when we hear about sports injuries happening to young people, because participating in school athletics has been proven to be a motivator and to help with dropout prevention. School athletics are meant to be a positive factor in a young person’s life.

When minors are injured, the law can get complicated fast. For example, while the standard Oregon injury case must be filed within 2 years of the accident, the statute of limitations for minors, on the other hand, is not so straightforward. ORS 12.160 steps you through the process for figuring out the statute of limitations. First, the regular statute of limitations applies. Second, it doesn’t start running until the child turns 18 years old. But, third, the statute cannot be extended more than five years. And fourth, it cannot be extended beyond the child’s 19th birthday. In addition to the statute of limitations, there’s also the issue of money. Money recovered belongs to the injured child, not to his or her parents. In certain cases, a judge will need to oversee the situation to make sure this happens.

If a city, state, county, or other public body is being sued, a Tort Claim Notice must be received by the entity being sued within 180 days of the injury. Don’t miss this deadline! ORS 30.275 contains the details. If you cannot figure them out by yourself, please call us. We are happy to help.