Man suing district in wrestling injury case
By AMY HILVERS, Californian staff writer
e-mail: [email protected]
A man is suing the Kern High School District after he reportedly injured his knee while practicing a wrestling move at the Foothill High School gym last year.
Eric De La Rosa, 40, was wrestling with a student after school on Feb. 9, 2004, when his leg was caught between two mats that weren’t taped together properly, said Daniel Rodriguez, De La Rosa’s attorney.
His leg twisted and he injured his knee, Rodriguez said. His knee required surgery to insert pins and a metal plate, and he was hospitalized for three days, Rodriguez said.
De La Rosa, who works as a contract plumber, has not fully recovered, Rodriguez said. He has already racked up $25,000 in medical bills.
Rodriguez said he expects that figure to double, because De La Rosa needs therapy and might need more surgery, which he can’t get “because the high school is refusing to accept responsibility.”
“It is the high school’s responsibility to see to it that the mats are taped together in order to prevent this exact thing from happening, “Rodriguez said.
The suit also names California-USA Wrestling Inc., the company that was putting on the after-school wrestling program, Rodriguez said.
De La Rosa is not affiliated with the school or the wrestling company, and was checking out the facilities at the school because his sons wrestle, Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez said the district and the company were pointing fingers at each other.
Robert Valerio, secretary treasurer for California-USA Wrestling Inc., said the company had no comment on the lawsuit.
The district referred the claim to the property and liability department of its insurance company, Self-Insured Schools of California. Director Jim Jett said the case was being investigated by legal counsel, but declined to comment further.
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