Nebraska Girl�s Sledding Accident Lawsuit Settled for $500K

The mother of a girl injured in a 2014 sledding accident at a Nebraska school will get a $500,000 lump-sum payment as part of a settlement with the school district�s insurance company.

Valarie Potter was 14 when she was injured at what used to be known as La Vista Junior High School. She and a friend slid down a hill together and hit a chain-link fence. A lawsuit filed by Valarie�s mother Christina Augeri said Valarie�s legs were fractured and an artery in her left knee was torn.

The lawsuit said Papillion-La Vista Community Schools failed to post a sign or otherwise warn people of the danger despite knowing that people often struck the fence while sledding, the Omaha World-Herald reported.

District spokeswoman Annette Eyman said insurance company officials decided to settle the case, although it must still be approved by the court. Eyman doesn�t anticipate that the settlement will result in district officials imposing sledding restrictions on the school property.

�You want your public school facilities to be used by the public,� she said. �Our district has always seen our schools as community buildings, and we want them to be used, but that�s a risk that you run when you do that.�

According to the lawsuit, the medical bills for Valarie�s multiple medical procedures and therapy exceeded $400,000. The family�s attorney Sean Rensch said Valarie seems to be progressing with her recovery.

�I�ve been impressed with how far she�s come, though she still has a long road ahead of her,� he said.

The school, now renamed La Vista Middle School, still has the fence in place