The horseplay related death of a junior high school student on May 18, 2010 has prompted a wrongful death lawsuit against the Normal (IL) Fire Department and the local school department.
The youngster, Donnie Hampton, 13, collapsed after engaging in a punching game called “body shots” in a school bathroom. The Normal Fire Department responded, treated and transported the youth, who died at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital. An autopsy concluded that he had a heart condition that contributed to his death.
Hampton’s mother, Jasmine Brooks, filed the suit on the one year anniversary of Donnie’s death alleging that school personnel failed to warn the students about the dangers of the game, and failed to properly monitor the bathrooms. She also alleges that Normal FD paramedics failed to properly assess and treat Donnie in a timely manner.
For more on the story. Here is a news video about the original incident back in May, 2010.
Failed to properly monitor the bathrooms? Do schools now need bathroom attendants?
Failed to properly educate the kids about the “game?” Really? It’s the school’s job to teach kids that hitting each other can be dangerous?
Joe
It does seem like a stretch on both counts. The devil will be in the details – what did the school officials know about the game? Were kids previously injured in the same way or was this the first time? Were school officials on notice that they had a serious problem with misbehavior in the bathrooms? Would the reasonably prudent officials have done something…. or was this whole thing a suprise to them as well…