Missouri school district settles mud-pit injury lawsuit

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Missouri school district has settled a lawsuit filed by a 2011 graduate who was seriously injured when she was stomped in a muddy pit at a school event.

The Springfield school district agreed to pay $423,106 to Megan Taylor, who was 17 when she was injured during a back-to-school event in August 2010 at Kickapoo High School. District spokesman Stephen Hall confirmed the amount but said the district didn’t admit liability.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that in the lawsuit, Taylor said she was pushed from behind and fell on her face in a muddy pit with others on top of her. Among other injuries, Taylor suffered four strokes, permanent brain damage, severe dementia and temporary blindness.

She alleged in the lawsuit that the muddy pit was not properly supervised and school employees didn’t offer timely emergency aid.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com