A former Bellevue High School football player has filed a lawsuit against the school district alleging that they did not following state laws and district policies when he suffered not one, but two concussions in the span of a week, leaving him with long-term injuries.

The complaint filed in King County Superior Court on April 26 details the concussions Colter Linford suffered on Oct. 11 and Oct. 17, 2011. Despite complaining of a headache, light sensitivity and dizziness after a head-to-dead hit that knocked him down, where he hit his head on the turf, Linford alleges that his coaches did not remove him from practice or see that he was assessed by a trained health care professional.

One Bellevue High School trainer reportedly expressed concern that Linford had a concussion several hours after the first incident, but adopted a “wait and see” approach to determine if the symptoms would resolve themselves.

Despite no one ensuring Linford received a “return-to-play” evaluation after the Oct. 11 hit, then then 16-year-old was running blocking drills during which he incurred multiple impacts to his body and head on Oct. 17. During this practice, Linford allegedly suffered a second concussion.

Years after the incident, Linford reports that he sustained long-term issues with his memory, ability to focus and various neurological and brain injury deficits, among other problems. The coaches’ actions, or lack thereof, breached common law, district policies and state law.

In particular, Linford’s lawyers contend the district violated the Zackery Lystedt law, named after a middle school football player who collapsed from a traumatic brain injury after being allowed back into the game just 15 minutes after suffering a concussion. As a result, Lystedt experienced numerous strokes, was comatose for three months and spent years recovering, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Concussions are one of the most commonly reported injuries in children and adolescents who participate in sports, with as many as 3.9 million occurring in youth athletes every year, according to the center.

The state law named after Lystedt requires that youth athletes who are suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury shall be removed from competition and must be evaluated by a licensed health care provider and receive written clearance before they can return to play.

The Bellevue School District has not responded to requests for comment at this time.