Valerie Gillespie is suing school board for negligence when her son suffered permanent brain damage

Valerie Gillespie and her mother

CBC – A mother is suing P.E.I.’s Eastern School District over injuries she says her disabled son suffered at a Charlottetown school that left him permanently incapacitated.

Valerie Gillespie is seeking an unspecified amount of money for damages, including the cost of full-time caregivers.

Gillespie’s son, Brenton Organ, was a 15-year-old student at Birchwood Intermediate School. He suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy, which causes both physical and mental challenges. 

Court documents filed this week say on Jan. 12 Brenton fell while being moved from one floor to another. He was being assisted by a caregiver, who was also helping another student with disabilities.

Near the bottom of the stairs, the documents say, Brenton slipped and fell and landed on his head and shoulder. He was taken to Charlottetown’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital but his injuries required treatment at the head trauma unit in Moncton.

Hope for supporting himself gone

The documents say that, prior to the fall, Brenton’s mother was told he could some day hold down a job and be largely self-supporting. After the fall, his mother was advised that hope was gone.

“Brenton’s injuries have rendered him permanently incapacitated in relation to training for employment,” say the court documents.

The lawsuit claims Brenton’s injuries were caused by negligence by the Eastern School District.

“[It provided] caregivers who lacked the training, skills or physical strength to attend to two adolescent disabled children.”

The documents also allege Brenton was not permitted to use the school’s elevator.

Gillespie told CBC News Thursday it is a terrible thing that happened, and that her lawyer has advised her not to comment further on the case.

This isn’t the first time a complaint by Gillespie has led to legal action on behalf of her son. Last fall, a driver for Pat and the Elephant — an Island company that provides transportation to the disabled — pleaded guilty to assaulting Brenton, after he wiped spit in the boy’s face.