Pennsylvania parents may know the mix of emotions that accompany the milestone of a child going off to college. Though certainly a child furthering his or her education in pursuit of a degree in a chosen field is a reason to feel proud, many parents often worry that harm will befall their child as he or she moves away from home to live on a college campus. In many cases, these fears are not unfounded; however, one grieving family has filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of their deceased son.
The young man was a freshman at a Pennsylvania school, attending Lafayette College to play lacrosse. In the autumn of his first year away from home, he was found dead in his dorm room, which he shared with several other students. An investigation revealed that something caused him to fall and hit his head on the concrete floor.
The parents have filed suit, claiming that though roommates saw the young man unresponsive on the floor, none of them attempted to call for help or move him to a safer place. Several of the students questioned state that they assumed the young man had passed out after a night of drinking and would be alright in the morning. Unfortunately, the evidence does not suggest that the young man was intoxicated at the time. No one called for help until 22 hours had passed, though experts say if help had come sooner, the young man could have been helped.
When a family loses a child to a wrongful death, they may be overwhelmed. Medical bills, funeral expenses and other costs can quickly pile up. In many cases, a family wishing to seek legal justice in a wrongful death case can benefit from the help of an experienced attorney. An attorney can assist a client with myriad of issues, allowing a family the opportunity to grieve in private, and help ensure that the responsible party is held accountable in a court of law.