$7.5M Settlement For Autistic Boy Killed In Golf Cart Crash

$7.5M Settlement For Autistic Boy Killed In Golf Cart Crash

Introduction

A lawsuit involving an autistic boy killed in a golf cart crash on a school campus last year has settled, and the mother of the child will receive $7.5 million from the school district, as noted by the family's attorneys. The tragic incident happened on September 09, 2019, at the El Modena High School campus, where the boy attended special education classes. The 15-year-old boy jumped onto a resting golf cart and crashed it into a railing, resulting in a significant chest and abdominal trauma that lead to his death later the same day. The mother of the child filed a lawsuit against Orange Unified School District, alleging negligence in watching her son and in the training of his caretakers. The suit further claimed that the district was negligent and reckless in hiring, training, and supervising the caretakers, who are hired to watch the students. The Superintendent of the Orange Unified School District, in response to the lawsuit, had said that the boy's one-to-one aide and a second aide were always next to him or near him and had also denied previous claims that the boy was not closely watched at the campus. As a part of the settlement, the school district has also agreed to update its policies and procedures to improve golf cart safety and discard the carts which are obsolete. There are 26 electric golf carts used for a variety of reasons, including transportation of students from a classroom to an office. The district will place a memorial bench in honor of the boy in the high school's campus garden.