An 8-year-old boy's little finger was permanently severed after an unknown man allegedly skated over it during the Barron Park 2026 Ice Skating Party at Winter Lodge in Palo Alto. The boy's mother, Laylo Rubina, has filed an unlimited civil lawsuit against the California State PTA, Winter Lodge and the city of Palo Alto, alleging negligence, reckless conduct and a failure to keep the rink safe for children.
Rubina filed the suit in Santa Clara County Superior Court, according to Palo Alto Online, after the city attorney's office denied an earlier attempt to pursue a claim against the city. The skating party was advertised for Barron Park Elementary students and their families, but the lawsuit alleges the man who struck the boy's hand was not part of that invited school community.
Emergency Surgery Failed To Save The Finger
The boy was rushed to a hospital for emergency surgery in an attempt to reattach his finger, but the procedure was unsuccessful. He underwent a second surgery just days later for a revision amputation, and the lawsuit states he will likely need yet another operation in the future because the remaining bone at the tip of his finger lacks sufficient soft tissue.
The complaint describes lasting physical and emotional fallout. The boy reportedly experiences sensitivity and coldness at the amputated fingertip, avoids using his right hand at school, and raises his left hand in class instead. The lawsuit says he has suffered pain, emotional distress, embarrassment and anxiety about the appearance and function of his hand.
Allegations Of Missing Safeguards On The Ice
Rubina alleges that some people associated with the Barron Park PTA had discussed canceling the 2026 party or adopting stricter door security, pointing to a previous incident in which she alleges a child was injured at an earlier Barron Park PTA skating party. According to the lawsuit, no such security measures were put in place for the Jan. 24 event.
The complaint states the only person stationed to monitor the ice rink was a Winter Lodge employee who was a minor, and that no adult intervened to stop or slow the unknown man, even after he allegedly nearly struck another child just minutes before colliding with the 8-year-old boy. The lawsuit characterizes the supervision that day as a want of even scant care and an extreme departure from the ordinary standard of conduct.
PTA invitations reportedly stated that a smaller rink would be reserved for beginner skaters, but the lawsuit alleges the main rink had no physical barrier, separation or designated area segregating young and beginning skaters from faster adult and advanced skaters. The complaint alleges that an unscreened adult stranger was allowed into a children's school skating party and permitted to skate at high speed among young kids.
Who Is Being Sued, And Why
The California State PTA is named as the state-level organization under which local groups such as the Barron Park PTA are chartered and operated. Winter Lodge is run by the nonprofit Community Skating Inc., which, according to a 2021 report from Palo Alto Online, leases its land from the city of Palo Alto at the rink's address on Middlefield Road. The more recent reporting on Rubina's lawsuit describes the city of Palo Alto as the owner of Winter Lodge.
Rubina believes the man's first name is Tor and that he is a Danish citizen who returned to Denmark after the incident, though his identity has not been independently confirmed. The lawsuit seeks past and future medical expenses along with legal costs, and notes that Rubina and the boy's father, David Rubin, have waived their own right to recover damages from the city, PTA or Winter Lodge so that the money would go to their son instead.
What California Law Says About Public Property Claims
Because the city of Palo Alto is named as a defendant, the case may turn in part on California's rules for public-entity liability. Under California Government Code section 835, a public entity can be held liable for an injury caused by a dangerous condition of its property if a plaintiff can show the property was in a dangerous condition at the time of the injury and that the condition proximately caused the harm, according to California Legislative Information.
The case is listed as unlimited civil, meaning the damages sought exceed $35,000. No response from the California State PTA, Winter Lodge, Community Skating Inc. or the city of Palo Alto has been made public, and the full case number, exact damages demand and a hearing date have not been disclosed.
