Indiana Woman to Be Awarded $500K in Son’s Death

An Indiana woman who sued the LaPorte Community School Corp. after her 9-year-old son choked to death on a turkey corn dog will receive $500,000.

A LaPorte Circuit Court jury awarded Maria Rosales $5 million in the September 2006 death of Juan Loera. Kenneth J. Allen, whose law firm filed the suit, says the district won’t have to pay more than $500,000 because of the state’s cap on what may be collected from a government entity.

The lawsuit claimed the Haillman Elementary School staffers who tried to help Juan lacked training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the Heimlich maneuver.

Superintendent Judith A. DeMuth says school officials believe the staffers did everything they could to help Juan. DeMuth says it’s too soon to say whether the district will appeal the jury award.

Information from: South Bend Tribune, www.southbendtribune.com