South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
The Florida parents of Pateesha Clinch, a 12-year-old girl who died while roughhousing with friends at Westview Middle School in September 2007, is suing the Miami-Dade school district for her wrongful death. According to students at the school, the 6th grader struck her head on the side of classroom wall when she fell.
Fire-rescue units that arrived at the scene found Clinch unconscious. She was pronounced dead at Jackson Memorial Hospital North. The medical examiner’s office says that Pateesha’s body showed no observable trauma. Autopsy results indicate that because of a rare, undetected heart condition, she may have gone into sudden cardiac death.
Pateesha’s parents, Daryl and Meka, are accusing the school district of negligence. The couple say that the fall contributed to her death, regardless of whether she had a preexisting heart condition. The couple’s personal injury lawyer said that teachers and security monitors at the school knew that the students liked to roughhouse in between classes and should have been properly supervising them.
Premises Liability
Schools, daycare centers, community centers and other premises where children are supervised owe a duty of care to the children and their parents to keep the kids safe from harm. When failure to provide that care results in personal injury, a Florida premises liability lawsuit may be filed. If someone you love has died on a premise because of negligent security, inadequate supervision, or any other unsafe conditions, you and your family may be able to file a Florida wrongful death claim or lawsuit against the responsible party or parties.
Examples of personal injury accidents that can occur at schools include:
• Sexual abuse
• Sexual assault
• Physical assault
• Defective products-related accidents
• Motor vehicle accidents
• Fall accidents
Dead girl’s parents sue Miami-Dade school district, Miami Herald, October 15, 2008
Horseplay Could Be To Blame For 12-Year-Old Girl’s Death, Local10.com, September 18, 2007
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