Courts: Mom can sue Philly schools for head-first gym injury
Philadelphia School District headquarters at 440 N. Broad St. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court says a mom can sue the School District of Philadelphia for injuries her 9-year-old son suffered when he ran head-first into a gymnasium wall.
A Philadelphia judge had dismissed the lawsuit, claiming the district couldn’t be sued under governmental immunity.
But Pennlive.com reports the appeals panel found the school could potentially be found negligent when Jarrett Brewington was hurt in May 2012 at the Walter G. Smith Elementary School.
The boy was running in a relay race when he tripped and fell into a gymnasium wall. Syeta Brewington sued claiming the school should have lined the gymnasium’s walls with safety mats.
The boy suffered a severe concussion and wasn’t allowed to speak or watch TV for three months afterward. He reported memory problems years later.
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