ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 1997 TAG: 9702170020
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
A former member of Virginia Tech's track team, injured two years ago on the university's secondhand indoor track, has filed a $10 million lawsuit.
Freddie Harrison Jr., who says his right knee was permanently damaged, is suing the university's board of visitors; Russell Whitenack, head track and field coach for nearly 23 years; David Braine, athletic director; and state Attorney General Jim Gilmore.
The 200-meter banked wooden track on which Harrison was practicing in Rector Field House was 10 years old when Tech bought it in 1984 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was replaced last month with a $495,000 state-of-the-art track.
"There were a number of things that were wrong with the track," Jennings Bird, one of the attorneys representing Harrison, said Friday. A lack of support under the track caused Harrison to hyperextend his knee during the Feb. 2, 1995, practice session, causing cartilage, ligament and nerve damage, the lawsuit says.
"It was kind of like running on a trampoline, you might say," Bird said. "After that season, the track was dismantled and stored. ... Now they've got a beautiful track. It's just a shame this track wasn't put in two years earlier. We wouldn't have this mess."
Harrison's mother, reached Friday in Maryland, said her son does not talk about the incident. She referred all inquiries to Bird.
The lawsuit was filed Jan. 30 in Montgomery County Circuit Court. It charges negligence over the condition of the track and gross negligence for failure to warn Harrison of the danger and to maintain the track to eliminate the danger. The lawsuit also claims that the condition of the track constituted a public nuisance.
Because of his injury, the lawsuit says, Harrison continues to suffer severe and permanent injuries as well as mental anguish. He faces ongoing medical expenses, cannot pursue his desired Army career and will lose potential income because his condition will keep him from getting jobs for which he would otherwise be qualified.
Harrison, who lives in Maryland, graduated last May with a degree in environmental science. He ran the 55-meter hurdles and 400-meter dash when he was on Tech's track team.
After the accident, Harrison had surgery, first at Columbia Montgomery Regional Hospital, then at the hospital at Johns Hopkins University. Nerve damage that keeps him from lifting his leg hampers his walking, his mother said.
Braine referred an inquiry about the suit to university general counsel Jerry Cain, who could not be reached.
LENGTH: Medium: 54 linesby CNB