The personal injury attorney for a 6-year-old girl is asking to sue the state of Connecticut for the psychological and emotional injuries she sustained from the deadly shooting that killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The injuries to a minor case seeks $100 million in damages. Generally, permission by this state must be sought before a party can proceed with a civil lawsuit against it.
The plaintiff’s legal team is claiming that her injuries occurred because she was at the school during the shooting and from hearing the screaming, gunfire, and conversations that took place over the intercom as the tragedy unfolded. They believe that the Connecticut Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and the State Commissioner of Education neglected to protect the girl from “foreseeable” harm when it failed to provide her with a safe school setting and had not mandated that the Newton Board of Education and Sandy Hook school have an emergency response plan in place.
The Sandy Hook shooting is considered one of the deadliest mass shootings in our nation’s history. It happened on December 14 when Adam Lanza, 20, went to the school and shot at six adults and 20 kids, ages 6 and 7. He then proceeded to shoot himself. Prior to coming to the school he also killed his mother.
More personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits over the Sandy Hook shootings may follow. Investigators will likely look at whether the school could have done more to prevent such an incident from happening or if there are other parties that should be held liable. At this point, it is difficult to determine who other than Lanza himself would be negligent until more information is uncovered/revealed. However, others may be found responsible. For example, in the 1999 Columbine High School shootings, the two men that supplied teens Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris with their weapons settled injury and wrongful death cases with most of the family’s victims. 12 students and a teacher were killed in that tragic incident, while two dozen others were injured.
Boston Personal Injury
Our Boston personal injury law firm represents the families of minors that were injured in accidents and tragedies that occurred because others were reckless, careless, or negligent. Contact Altman & Altman LLP today.
Newtown Lawsuit: Lawyer for Shooting Survivor Says $100M Claim is About Security, Huffington Post, December 29, 2012
First Sandy Hook lawsuit filed, lawyer seeks $100M, MyFox8, December 29, 2012
$2.53 Million Deal Ends Some Columbine Lawsuits, The New York Times, April 20, 2001
More Blog Posts:
Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre Leaves At Least 27 Dead, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, December 14, 2012
Dorchester Toddler Dies After Driver Accidentally Leaves Him in Day Care Van for Several Hours in 80 Degree Weather, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, September 17, 2011
12-Year-Old Massachusetts Boy Dies After Collapsing During Holden Soccer Camp, Boston Injury Lawyer, July 19, 2011