Quadriplegic Teen's Parents Sue St. Ignatius

By Camela Furry in News on Aug 19, 2009 2:40PM

In 2007, Christopher Connolly was a 15-year old freshman at St. Ignatius practicing with the junior-varsity water polo team when he hit his head on the bottom of the school swimming pool and suffered injuries that left him quadriplegic. On Monday, Connolly’s family sued the school for negligence over the accident which they say resulted from a “hazing incident.” Chicago Breaking News provides the background:

The lawsuit alleged an assistant coach told some classmates to throw snowballs at "Flounder," a derogatory nickname he had given Connolly. As he tried to avoid being hit by "a barrage" of snowballs, kickboards, buoys and other pool equipment, Connolly was instructed by another coach to "get in" the pool, the suit said.

Connolly "was forced to dive into the swimming pool," hitting the pool bottom and fracturing his vertebrae, according to the suit and his attorney, Steven Greenberger.

Connolly, now 17, requires constant care and needs help with basic functions like getting dressed and bathing. Connolly’s mother and father are his primary caretakers and say the suit is “not just a monetary thing”. His mother told Chicago Breaking News, “He can’t be left alone. I hope I can live long enough to take care of him.” Through extensive physical therapy Connolly has regained some use of his arms and hands and plans to attend Walter Payton College Prep next month for his senior year. He is thinking about where he will go to college next year and said “I’m not ruling anything out at this point.” The suit seeks undisclosed monetary damages and the coaches involved were not named as defendants.