Family sues school over death of son.

[+Paranoid Android]

Heartbroken Chaina family reveals devastating cost of loss of their son Nathan

THE family of a 15-year-old boy who drowned in floodwaters during an excursion with one of Sydney's most prestigious schools has spoken for the first time about how the tragedy left them in emotional and financial ruin.

The Chainas are suing Scots College and the Presbyterian Church for a record $109 million in the NSW Supreme Court after their son Nathan was killed when he fell into a swollen creek at the school's Glengarry campus in Kangaroo Valley on October 24, 1999.

In their first sit-down interview in the 14 years since his death, the Chaina family, from Vaucluse in the city's east, said they had spent $20 million in legal fees seeking justice over the tragedy, which has left them battling depression and suicidal thoughts.

Further reading - Source

Personally, I think this is ridiculous on several levels. First, the sheer amount of money involved: they say it's not about the money, but why such a large sum if that's not the case? They're citing "loss of income" because of an invention the father couldn't complete, but how many inventions rake in $80 million dollars (I'll allow that they should at least be covered for the $20 million in lawyer fees they've done plus an extra $9 million for damamges, assuming the school is liable).

Second, could the school be reasonably expected to foresee a danger like this? If I was on a school excursion into the city museum and walking across the road at the crossing a drunk driver runs us over, is the school expected to be culpable if there isn't a trained EMT along to aid any thing like this?

Third, Less than a year before this (December 1998) I was involved in a High School camp that resulted in the drowning of three people at a beach. It wasn't run directly by the school, but it did allow the preacher who ran the camp to advertise it at our school. Should the school be held responsible for not checking up to make sure the camp was safely run? To cut costs, the camp organiser took us to an unmanned beach rather than travel to a populated area where lifeguards were on duty (or alternatively pay the Life-saving club to come and man the beach while we were there). Can I claim $109 million dollars from the government because I want some extra cash? Maybe I'll contact all the people who were at the camp with me, and we can launch a Class Action suit with the Australian government?

I feel for the family who lost a son and a brother. I feel for them in a way most people in Australia can't. But I don't in any way support their decision to open a lawsuit against the organisation their school belongs to. Perhaps if they had spent the last 14 years grieving instead of spending $20 million dollars to force the school to accept blame, then perhaps they would have gotten over the post-traumatic stress issues and be a normally functioning family that isn't always depressed and suicidal?

Edited July 22, 2013 by Paranoid Android

[Mr.United_Nations]

Agreed, and also a complete waste of time too, life is more important than money.

[Odds]

Even for a school like Scots College, that would surely bankrupt them... And coming from the most expensive suburb in Sydney, and spending $20 million in legal fees, it's not like they were strapped for cash. It seems, and i may very well be wrong, that they are trying to recoup their money rather get closure for the unfortunate death of their son.

[shrooma]

we have schoolkids dropping like flies on our school trips over here, and to my knowledge, no-one's tried suing any of the schools.

i didn't think the aussies were into the whole blame culture thing, i thought they were too level-headed for that?

(they must be bleedin' pommie ex-pats or something....)

;-)

[rashore]

Wow. Even if the school was somehow at fault for the accident... They are not at fault for the family reaction to it. And for sure that family cannot know if the invention would have even been a success or not, so no way on that either. Maybe the family should have spent 20 mil on grief counseling instead of blowing it on trying to sue the school.

Edited July 23, 2013 by rashore

[+and-then]

(they must be bleedin' pommie ex-pats or something....)

? English please?

[shrooma]

(they must be bleedin' pommie ex-pats or something....)

? English please?

.

:-D

a bleedin' pommie ex-pat AT, is what an aussie would call someone from britain who'd moved over to australia!

(well, that's putting it mildly, what they'd REALLY call us would cause the language filter to go into meltdown, and get me a lifetime ban if i wrote it on here!)

;-)

[+and-then]

.

:-D

a bleedin' pommie ex-pat AT, is what an aussie would call someone from britain who'd moved over to australia!

(well, that's putting it mildly, what they'd REALLY call us would cause the language filter to go into meltdown, and get me a lifetime ban if i wrote it on here!)

;-)

HAHAHAHAHA.... gotcha....

[Odds]

.

:-D

a bleedin' pommie ex-pat AT, is what an aussie would call someone from britain who'd moved over to australia!

(well, that's putting it mildly, what they'd REALLY call us would cause the language filter to go into meltdown, and get me a lifetime ban if i wrote it on here!)

;-)

Ha ha ha ha, come on, we love you pommies down here... We just love to hate you guys a bit more

[shrooma]

Ha ha ha ha, come on, we love you pommies down here... We just love to hate you guys a bit more

.

aussie hate we don't mind Odds, you guys are too good-natured to REALLY hate anybody.

in fact, if other countries hated each other the same way, the world would be a much better place.....

(to be honest, i think you guys are just jealous that you don't live on a tiny, cramped, overcrowded, wet & soggy little island or that you don't overwhelmingly suck at every sport you've ever invented!

.

oh. hang on.....)

:-)