A Sangre Grande family is claiming negligence by school officials following the death of a nine-year old boy who collapsed at his school.
Nathaniel Joseph Findley was pronounced dead at the Sangre Grande Hospital on Monday afternoon, just about an hour-and- a- half after he suffered a seizure at his primary school at around 2.45 pm.
Relatives of Findley are incensed, however, that the school opted to call Findley’s mother first, instead of taking him to the Sangre Grande Hospital after he fainted at the school compound.
“So they called the mother and told the mother to come to the school now because he faint. That was the call she get from the school. She is a pregnant mother,” said Claudia Moore, Findley’s grandmother.
She added: “But she hustle and get a transport from blue mountain there to go by the school. The school is on the Eastern Main Road there. So let we say roughly 15 to 20 minutes for her to reach the school.”
She said the child was only taken to the hospital after the mother arrived at the hospital almost an hour after he collapsed.
“Nobody take that child to the hospital? No teacher took that child to the hospital? The principal was in the school, nobody did nothing?” she said.
“When the child reach the Sangre Grande Hospital they try to put him on a respiration system to see if he was in a coma or something. They tell her to give them 20 minutes. That was 3 40 pm. When 10 minutes passed on the respiration system, they tell she he is not responding,” Moore said.
However, Moore said her daughter- in- law claimed the boy felt cold at the school.
An autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre yesterday confirmed that Findley died as a result of seizure.
Moore said as far as she knew Findley had no previous medical ailments. However, a source close to the school told Guardian Media that Findley had been taken to hospital in the company of his mother and the school’s principal after he had a bout of seizures and vomiting less than a month ago.
A release from the Ministry of Education also stated that an ambulance was called after the boy collapsed, but he was ultimately taken to hospital by the principal in the company of his mother and sister, who is also a student of the school.
Minister of Education Anthony Garcia extended his condolences in the statement.
He said, “I am deeply saddened by the news of this student’s passing. The death of a loved one is never easy. My heartfelt sympathies go out to his family, teachers and classmates”
Garcia confirmed student support services would be sent to provide counselling sessions for pupils of the school.