Sport Chalet explosion victim files lawsuit
One of two employees injured in an explosion at the La Cañada Flintridge Sport Chalet on March 1 is suing the company.
Lauren Polzin, a 27-year-old who led the store’s scuba department, was severely burned when she was asked to shut off a gas valve after someone reported smelling gas. The incident occurred in a utility closet near the store’s pool.
Polzin and her husband, Neil Polzin, filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday. The couple is also suing, among others, the manufacturer of the pool and heating system, claiming it was dangerous.
The incident caused Lauren Polzin “great mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering,” the claim states, possibly leading to a “permanent disability.”
The lawsuit alleges that the incident was the result of “negligence, carelessness, recklessness and unlawfulness” of Sport Chalet and the other defendents. The suit also claims that the gas-supply system in the store was unsafe.
Victor Gonzalez, a 25-year-old supervisor at the La Canada Flintridge store, was also severely injured during the explosion.
A spokesperson for Sport Chalet could not immediately be reached for comment.
-- Tiffany Kelly, tiffany.kelly@latimes.com
Follow on Google+ and on Twitter: @LATiffanyKelly.
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