HOWELL – A former Griebling Elementary School student has reached a $170,000 settlement with the Howell Township Board of Education following a 2014 incident in which she was injured after going down a too-steep slide on the school playground.
According to the civil complaint, a kindergarten student fell off the slide, sustaining “significant injuries to her right hand and arm” on Oct. 14, 2014. The complaint alleges that she slid down the slide “at an excessive rate of speed due to the steep slope of the slide.”
Federal standards dictate that slides meant for preschool- and school-aged children should be no greater than 30 degrees and the slide in question was angled at 35.2 degrees, according to the complaint.
The girl’s attorney, Ciro Tufano, stated that the school district was “negligent” in maintaining safe equipment standards and failed to properly supervise or protect children using the equipment.
[adrotate banner="278"]Of the $170,000 settlement, $16,479 will go towards the girl’s medical bills, $43,563 will go to her lawyer, and the remainder will be set aside in an account for the girl to access once she turns 18, according to the complaint.
