An Anne Arundel County teacher slammed a classroom door on a student's fingers so hard that it severed three of her fingertips, a lawsuit filed against the school board claims.
The suit, filed last year, says the student was airlifted to a hospital after the incident, which happened at MacArthur Middle School in Fort Mead, Maryland, in 2017.
As a French class taught by Steven Akers was beginning on the afternoon of Oct. 9, 2017, the student got up to ask him a question and put her hand on the door jamb, according to the suit. Akers then tried to get the attention of the class by slamming the door, the lawsuit said, as the Capital Gazette reported.
The tips of the girl's pointer, middle and ring fingers were severed.
Court documents filed this month reveal new details about the student's injuries. The girl, whom NBC4 is not identifying because she is a minor, suffered permanent injuries and nerve damage despite surgery, the suit says.
The suit says Akers was negligent for not checking to make sure no children were in the path of the door.
The father of the girl is suing the Anne Arundel County school board for damages in excess of $75,000, which Steven Campen, the family's attorney, said is the minimum amount when filing an injury case in Maryland.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Anne Arundel County Schools spokesman Bob Mosier said he could not comment on pending litigation but said Akers resigned in February 2018.
