Parents of Virginia Tech Student Sue School over Suicide
The parents of a Virginia Tech student plan to sue the school for not invervening before it was too late. The Washington Post reports that Mr. William Kim and Mrs. Elizabeth Kim are suing Virginia Tech for negligence over their son Daniel Kim's suicide on December 9, 2007.
The Virginia Tech student committed suicide shortly after the Virginia Tech shooting. According to The Virginian-Pilot, Mr. Daniel Kim, a Korean-American confided in his sister that he feared that he resembled the Virginia Tech shooter Mr. Seung-Hui Cho who was a Korean.
After the shooting, Mr. Kim stopped attending classes and confided in a friend that he was ready to end his life. His friend, Shaun Pribush contacted Virginia Tech in order to let them know that Mr. Kim was on the verge of committing suicide. He sent the email on November 5, 2007. According to The Virginian-Pilot it read: "Daniel has been acting very suicidal recently, purchasing a $200 pistol, and claiming he'll go through with it. This is very serious."
Mr. Kim's parents allege that despite this knowledge, university officials did nothing to help their son get the help he needed. Once the university received this email, it discussed the email in a Virginia Tech care team meeting, but no further action was taken.
The family's attorney claims that the university "squandered an opportunity to help" Mr. Daniel Kim. The attorney was quoted by The Virginian-Pilot as saying, "What I find appalling is that this came on the heels of the Cho incident and they just didn't respond the way they were charged to respond."
Related Resources:
- Suicide.org: Suicide Prevention Awareness and Support (Non-Profit Suicide Organization)
- College Student Depression and Suicide (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)
- When a Student Commits Suicide (SafeYouth.org)
- Wrongful Death Overview (provided by Joseph Klest, Attorney at Law)
- Wrongful Death Compensation (provided by Law Offices of Piazza Simmons Grant LLC)