CHARLESTON -– A Charleston woman is seeking a penalty flag – via the courts – against the county board of education, and a private college for injuries she sustained at one of their sports facilities.
Ramona Baytos named the Kanawha County Board of Education and the University of Charleston as co-defendants in a personal injury suit in Kanawha Circuit Court. In her complaint filed Sept. 3, Baytos alleges she fell and injured herself two years ago on a poorly maintained walkway at Laidley Field/University of Charleston Stadium.
According to her suit, Baytos was at Laidley Field on Sept. 7, 2008, watching a midget league football game. The game was played under the supervision of the Chemical Valley Youth Football League and American Youth Football Inc.
At a place in Laidley not specified in court records, Baytos alleges she tripped on a walking surface that "was in complete disrepair." The surface had either a deep hole or severe crack that it "presented a hazard to persons attending the game."
Baytos does not provide specifics as to how she was injured. However, she maintains that as a result she sustained "permanent physical injuries, mental anguish, pain and suffering, loss of income [and] loss of wages."
Along with the Board and UC, Baytos names CVYFL and AYF as co-defendants in her suit. All had some sort of duty to inspect Laidley and keep it free from hazards, she alleges.
Built in 1979, Laidley Field was renamed University of Charleston Stadium in 2005 following an agreement between U.C's board of trustees and the Board. Under the agreement, the Board retained ownership of stadium, and rented it to U.C. for them to use for their football, soccer and track and field teams in exchange for U.C. making $1.5 million in renovations.
Baytos seeks unspecified damages, court costs and interest. She is represented by Charleston attorney J. Miles Morgan.
The case is assigned to Judge Jennifer Bailey
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 10-C-1606
