Horry County Schools ordered to pay former student and football player $750K. Here’s why
The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Horry County Schools has to pay $750,000 to a former student after he was forced to continue playing football with a head injury.
Logan Wood and his mother Sarah Wood filed a lawsuit against the school district in 2017. He won the case in 2021, with the jury determining the district was responsible for two occurrences of gross negligence and would have to pay Logan $850,000, according to previous reporting from The Sun News.
Horry County Schools does not comment on legal matters, said Horry County Schools spokesperson Lisa Bourcier.
The Horry County Schools District appealed the 2021 decision, stating the jury made a mistake. It requested to not pay interest and to only pay $300,000, as that’s the maximum payout for gross negligence.
A court of appeals ruled the district to pay $600,000, as there were two occurrences, said Logan’s lawyer, James B. Moore III of the Evans Moore Law Firm. Combined with the $25,000 payout to Sarah Wood for medical bills, $5,000 for lawyer fees and $120,000 in interest, Horry County Schools is paying around $750,000.
The Supreme Court sided with the lower court, stating it is constitutional for the district to pay the full amount along with interest.
What happened to Logan?
In 2016, Logan was a student at North Myrtle Beach Middle School and played for the North Myrtle Beach Junior High B-team, according to the lawsuit. During an October game, Logan was hit multiple times during the first half of the game, leading to him feeling off-balance.
He communicated this to his coach and teammates. The lawsuit said he also showed confusion, visual impairment and a loss of balance. Despite this, he was put back in the game where he was hit several more times, worsening his head trauma.
Immediately after the game, Logan was diagnosed with a serious brain injury. The concussion brought short- and long-term memory loss, forcing him to stop attending classes
Any student athlete who is suspected to have a concussion must be taken to the emergency department via ambulance, according to Horry County Schools District’s Procedures for Management of Sports-Related Concussion. If they do not immediately get medical attention, the student must be observed until evaluated by a health care professional.
Concussion symptoms include unusual drowsiness, difficulty paying attention, a decreasing level of consciousness and a change in mental status.
Following his injury, Logan had to stop playing football, Moore said. This was hard because Logan had wanted to go to college on a football scholarship. He also wanted to join the military but was unable to following his head injury.
