Case details

Negligent supervision resulted in child’s head injury: suit

SUMMARY

$6000000

Amount

Mediated Settlement

Result type

Not present

Ruling
KEYWORDS
brain, brain injury, cognition, face, facial, fracture, head, impairment, mental, nose, psychological, skull, subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, traumatic brain injury
FACTS
On Oct. 20, 2010, plaintiff Justice Van Dyke, 6, was on the campus of Dennis Earl Elementary School in Turlock. Before class, some larger third grade boys were running and playing a prohibited game of keep-away or tag when one of the larger third grade boys ran into Justice, knocking her to the ground. As a result, the back of Justice’s head slammed against the hard, concrete ground. None of the adults on campus stopped the running or saw the collision and injury occur. Justice was medically assessed by an office secretary because there was no nurse or medical tech on campus when the accident occurred. Justice was then sent to class, where she complained of a horrible headache developed. She was then seen by the school’s health technician, who had Justice lay down with ice for two hours. Justice then became unconscious and unresponsive, and had a seizure. Finally, 911 was called, and Justice was airlifted to UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, where she was treated for head and brain . Justice’s grandparents, Tony and Kimberly Pascoal, acting as Justice’s guardians ad litem, sued the Turlock Unified School District and Dennis Earl Elementary School. The Pascoals alleged that the defendants were negligent in the supervision of the students and in the medical care they provided to Justice. The matter only proceeded against the school district. Plaintiff’s counsel contended the school district’s personnel failed to supervise and control the conduct of the students on campus before class, as there were only four adults to supervise the conduct and activities of over 700 children. Thus, counsel asserted that this negligent supervision created a dangerous condition of public property pursuant to Government Code § 835. Plaintiff’s counsel further contended that the school district unreasonably failed to provide necessary medical care to Justice for over two hours. Defense counsel contended that the school district’s personnel acted reasonably and that there was no dangerous condition of public property. Counsel also contended that there was no unreasonable delay in providing Justice with necessary medical care., While still at the elementary school, Justice became unconscious and unresponsive, and had a seizure. She was subsequently airlifted to UCSF Medical Center, where she received anti-seizure medication, a blood product transfusion, and was placed under observation. It was determined that Justice sustained an occipital skull fracture and traumatic brain injury, consisting of a right frontal intraparenchymal hematoma, an acute subarachnoid hemorrhage, and a subdural hematoma with midline shift. She was ultimately discharged from the medical center after five days. Justice now suffers from a seizure disorder. Plaintiff’s counsel contended that Justice has cognitive deficits that affect her short term memory and attention, which will likely prevent Justice from graduating high school. Counsel also contended that Justice’s frontal lobe damage will prevent full development of executive function, which will likely prevent Justice from employment and independent living. Defense counsel contended that any learning disabilities were pre-existing due to Justice’s congenital heart defect, with which she was born. Specifically, counsel contended that Justice’s learning disabilities were due to prior hypoxic events and missing significant time from classes due to surgeries and treatments for her pre-existing hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
COURT
Superior Court of Stanislaus County, Modesto, CA

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