December 14, 2012 marks a devastating day in our country’s history, as 20 children and 7 adults were killed in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Newton, CN. The shooter was a 20-year-old son of one of the teachers; and after killing children and staff, including his own mother, he shot himself at the school. According to reports, 18 of the children were found dead on the scene and the other two died later in the hospital from fatal injuries. This tragic event is now counted as the worst grade-school shooting in U.S. history.
According to ABC News reports, one of the survivors of the school shooting has now decided to sue the state for $100 million on behalf of their daughter who is 6 years old. According to the family, their little girl witnessed the day’s events first hand, she heard the conversations of the victims and the shooter, she saw the gunshots, heard the screams of the victims. What is most shocking to the parents was the fact that the happenings of the event were being shared on the school’s loudspeakers, so no one could escape the terrors and fear of the shooting.
While money is a natural outcome of a lawsuit, the family shares that their main concern is the fact that there have been too many shootings in the country, this year alone and someone needs to fight for the safety of their children, especially in their schools. This lawsuit is an effort to have schools upgrade their security systems not only in the state of Connecticut but nationwide. Their little girl is suffering from extreme psychological trauma after the events of December 14 and the filing says that they are still unsure how severe these emotional damages really are.
The lawsuit filing specifically states that they want the state to be held responsible for their failure to protect the children from “foreseeable harm.” Parents enroll their children into local schools, leaving them in the care and oversight of the teachers and staff, hoping that they will remain safe throughout the day while learning at the same time. While this incident could not have been prevented by the teachers, had the school building itself implemented safer conditions for the students, 27 people might have still been alive to see the year of 2013 start tomorrow.
Sadly, because of this one young man’s careless actions and the state’s failure to protect the children and staff, these victims will never have the chance to live again. Filing a lawsuit is a natural response after a tragedy that has happened, and in this case, may have been preventable with more adequate safety measures.
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In the event that you or someone you love has been a victim of neglect at the hands of another individual or entity, contact Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers today for the Shreveport personal injury attorney you deserve.
