Parents in Oklahoma and across the country expect school classes and activities to be safe for their children. Unfortunately, schools don’t always supervise students the way they should, and families pay the price.
Boy loses fingers in woodshop class accident
In May 2018, a woodshop class teacher at Carl Albert Middle School in Midwest City instructed a seventh-grade boy to cut a board with a table saw that didn’t have a blade guard or other safety features. While using the saw, the boy accidentally sliced off three fingers on his left hand.
According to the boy’s parents, the school failed to call 911 for 14 minutes after the accident. Once the boy was taken to the hospital, doctors were unable to re-attach his severed fingers, leaving him with a life-long disability.
The high price of serious injuries
The boy’s injury racked up around $330,000 in medical bills. To make matters worse, he will lose an estimated $2.76 million in future earnings because of his disability. To help recover those losses, his parents sued the Mid-Del School District for damages. However, Oklahoma law currently caps government liability in injury cases at just $125,000. As a result, his parents have also launched a GoFundMe campaign to make up the difference between the settlement amount and their actual losses.
Serious injuries typically come with a high price tag. Medical bills, rehabilitation costs and lost wages can lead to staggering financial losses for both injured victims and their families. However, when an injury is caused by the negligence of others, a personal injury lawsuit can be filed against the responsible parties seeking compensation for the damages that were incurred.