Imani Bell s family files lawsuit against school officials wfmynews2.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wfmynews2.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Family of Georgia Teen Who Died After Basketball Drills Sues School Officials
Imani Bell, 16, collapsed while running up stadium steps in “extreme heat,” according to a complaint filed on Wednesday.
“Basketball was one of her loves,” Imani Bell’s father said of his daughter, who died after running drills with her school basketball team in 2019.
Feb. 24, 2021
The family of a Georgia teenager who died after participating in outdoor basketball practice two years ago has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against several school officials, including the athletic director and principal.
The teenager, Imani Bell, was a junior at the Elite Scholars Academy, a public school in Jonesboro, Ga., in August 2019 when she was running up the football stadium steps during a drill in “extreme heat” and collapsed, according to the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday by her parents, Dorian and Eric Bell.
Parents of high school athlete sue coach, others for wrongful death
Imani Bell was a 16-year-old junior at Elite Scholars Academy.
The lawsuit alleges that on August 13th, 2019, Imani was taking part in mandatory conditioning drills in the roughly 98-degree heat when she collapsed after running up the football stadium steps.
According to the lawsuit, the defendants “observed Imani experiencing early signs of heat illness during the outdoor practice but nevertheless directed Imani to continue performing the conditioning drills with her team and directed Imani to run up the stadium steps.”
The lawsuit says a GBI autopsy revealed Imani had no preexisting conditions and that she “died of a heatstroke caused by strenuous physical exertion in extreme temperatures.” They’re suing the girls basketball coach, the school’s athletic director, its principal and several others, claiming they failed to follow mandated safety guidelines established by the Clayton County School Board
But, she added, they didn t know that practice would be held outside. Due to the extreme heat and humidity outside, Imani began experiencing early signs of heat illness and was visibly struggling to physically perform the outdoor conditioning drills Defendants directed her to perform, the lawsuit reads. Defendants observed Imani experiencing early signs of heat illness during the outdoor practice but nevertheless directed Imani to continue performing the conditioning drills with her team and directed Imani to run up the stadium steps.
Imani had no underlying health issues contributing to her death according to the lawsuit.
The teenager suddenly collapsed during the practice, lost consciousness, and became unresponsive. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead later that evening.
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