Lawsuit Filed Against Bates College After Student-Athlete Suffers Traumatic Brain Injury

AUBURN, Maine — December 16, 2025 — A lawsuit has been filed in Androscoggin County Superior Court alleging that Bates College’s failure to secure hazardous athletic equipment caused a traumatic brain injury to Kaitlyn “Katie” Watt, a 21-year-old senior student-athlete. The complaint claims that avoidable safety failures led to a catastrophic incident that changed the course of Watt’s life.

"Colleges are supposed to keep students safe. Instead, Bates ignored basic safety instructions and left a nearly 600-pound piece of athletic equipment unanchored, in an area where student-athletes regularly train, allowing it to become essentially a wrecking ball in high winds. What followed was not a surprise; it was exactly what the college should have expected—a student-athlete suffering profound, life-changing injuries."
-Attorney Meryl Poulin of Gideon Asen

Watt, a captain of the Bates Nordic ski team and All-Academic honoree, was running on the school’s Russell Street Track and Field Complex on October 12, 2024, when she was struck by a 597-pound KwikGoal bench shelter that allegedly became airborne in high winds. According to the complaint, Bates had placed two such structures at the track but failed to anchor them despite repeated manufacturer instructions requiring secure installation and storage in the threat of high winds.

The lawsuit asserts that earlier that morning, one of the shelters blew across the entire field and landed on the track, the same area Watt would later be running. Despite this event, the complaint alleges the college did not secure or remove the structures, close the facility, or warn student-athletes. Less than ninety minutes later, the same shelter allegedly moved or became airborne again and struck Watt as she ran with her teammates.

The impact caused severe injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, brain hemorrhage, and skull fracture. Watt was transported by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center and later by LifeFlight to Maine Medical Center for emergency neurological treatment.

Before the incident, Watt was described as a high-performing scholar-athlete. She qualified for the Boston Marathon, was preparing for what was expected to be her strongest competitive ski season, and earned academic honors for three consecutive years. The complaint alleges that the injury has left her with permanent cognitive, emotional, and physical impairments, including headaches, neurological deficits, and disruptions that affect daily functioning and independence.

According to the complaint, Bates had full control over the placement and anchoring of athletic equipment after a reconstruction of the track facility in the summer of 2024. Manufacturer instructions allegedly required either buried concrete footings or concrete-and-steel anchors, but Bates installed neither. The lawsuit further claims that forecasts on the day of the incident predicted sustained winds above 20 mph with gusts above 35 mph, and that Bates ignored both those forecasts and the earlier warning incident at the field.

The lawsuit includes one count of negligence and alleges that Watt’s injuries were a direct and foreseeable result of Bates’s failure to secure the shelters, respond to known hazards, and take reasonable safety precautions. The complaint seeks compensation for medical expenses, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and other damages to be determined by a jury. The plaintiff has requested a jury trial.

The case, Watt v. Bates College, was filed on December 16th, 2025. Watt is represented by Attorney Meryl E. Poulin of Gideon Asen LLC in Auburn, Maine.

Read the official complaint here