By Everton Bailey Jr.
The Oregonian
PORTLAND, Ore. — A prison inmate is suing the Oregon Department of Corrections for negligence and cruel and unusual punishment after he ran headfirst into a goalpost while trying to catch a football at the Oregon State Correctional Institution last September.
Davonte Thomas, 22, claims that the protective padding on both goalposts at the prison’s recreational yard in Salem had been removed earlier that month. The incident left Thomas with a chipped tooth, a concussion, bouts of vertigo, a scar on his forehead and an inability to sleep, according to the federal lawsuit.
Thomas, who also names an activities manager and recreational specialist in the lawsuit, is seeking $50,000. Thomas claims the safety pads were reapplied to the goalposts after he filed a grievance one month after his injury.
According to the lawsuit, Thomas was running to catch a football and not looking forward when he crashed into the goalpost last fall. The blow knocked him unconscious and caused a cut on his forehead that required stitches.
Thomas filed a grievance last October claiming the prison’s recreation department “failed to ensure his safety from hazardous living conditions.” Thomas claimed the grievance coordinator at the prison would not accept his complaint because he had asked for compensatory damages, the lawsuit said.
Tonya Gushard, a spokeswoman for the Oregon State Correctional Institution, declined to comment Friday on the lawsuit. The goalposts still had the protective padding on them, she said.
Thomas does not appear to have an attorney.