Last November, a 13-year-old boy tragically lost his life after suffering an asthma attack during his first day of basketball practice at Thornton Middle School. Now, a prominent Houston attorney is getting involved.
In a mediation demand letter sent to Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Superintendent Dr. Douglas Killian, attorney Tony Buzbee called eighth grader Xavier Thompsonโs death a โpreventable tragedy.โ
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In a conversation with Xavierโs mother, Brittany Thompson, in the days following the tragedy, KPRC 2โฒs Bryce Newberry discovered that Xavierโs parents were first alerted to the asthma attack by a frantic phone call from his classmatesโnot the schoolโs staff.
OUR FIRST REPORT: โFull of lifeโ: Student dies after first day of basketball practice at Cy-Fair ISD middle school
โItโs way longer than it should have been,โ George Powell, the familyโs former attorney said in November. โIf the facts bear out to be what we think they are, we think that this amounts to gross negligence and we intend to pursue it.โ
Buzbeeโs demand letter corroborated this account, adding that the panicked parents had to ask Xavierโs friends to give the coach their phone to speak with them.
Xavierโs dad, Willis Thompson, was also able to get to the school at around the same time as medical personnel, leaving the family to question how urgent the schoolโs response actually was.
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Buzbee said he believes the schoolโs reaction to Xavierโs medical episode showed a lack of emergency preparedness and ultimately contributed to the situationโs devastating outcome.
In the pre-suit demand, Buzbee said Xavierโs parents are seeking compensation to account for their sonโs passing. They also are demanding to see changes in emergency training policies and procedures to prevent future tragedies of this nature.
The letter is requesting a response from the district by Feb. 7.