The family of the Grade 3 student who was strangled by a lanyard at Bearspaw School has launched a multi-million dollar lawsuit over the matter.
Grant and Kamila Kitzul are suing for more that $15 million on behalf of their son Nicholas Kitzul. They are also seeking remedy for loss of income while they tend to him.
According to the statement of claim, Nicholas’s teacher gave him the lanyard when he signed out of his classroom to go to the washroom back in December 2012. A few minutes later, another student found Nicholas in the washroom, hanging after the lanyard had gotten caught on the washroom cubicle door. The student returned to the classroom and let the teacher know that Nicholas’s neck was caught in the lanyard.
The then-eight-year-old boy was rushed to Alberta Children’s Hospital, where he stayed in the intensive care unit for more than a week.
The Kitzuls’ suit said Nicholas suffered a severe brain injury and collapsed lungs as a result of the matter. The claim says the incident left the young boy totally disabled, and unable to speak or communicate.
The suit listed dozens of allegations, including that the school failed to provide students with lanyards that breakaway under tension. It also alleged that Nicholas’ teacher didn’t check the injured student’s vital signs or perform CPR.
The lawsuit names the principal of Bearspaw School, Nicholas’ Grade 3 teacher, along with the Rocky View Schools Division, the Alberta Teachers’ Association and Morgex Insurance.
Rocky View Schools said they would not comment on the matter.
