Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Number of Parkland PTSD victims grows
At least 24 people at who were at Stoneman Douglas High now plan to sue the school district or the Sheriff ’s Office over Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Although the AR-15-wielding shooter bypassed Room 1212 in his killing rampage, bullets ricocheted and whizzed through the walls as the gunman sprayed four other first-floor classrooms and the hallway with gunfire.
Samara Barrack, 15, a freshman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, hid with her teacher and language-arts classmates in Room 1212, while 11 on that floor were murdered. By the time the gunfire ceased in the freshman building, 17 were dead and another 17 were wounded.
Samara is one of 24 who was not physically wounded during the Feb. 14 school massacre but has notified the Broward School Board and/or the Sheriff’s Office of her intent to sue over the shooting. Samara now suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is receiving medical treatment, according to the notice her lawyer, Patrick Lawlor, sent to Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie.
“Now we’re dealing with a daughter who is psychologically traumatized about this for the rest of her life,” her mother, Michele Barrack said. “I think everyone in that building is dealing with it, to be honest.”
For the first several weeks after the shooting, Samara slept either in her parents’ or sister’s room. Some of her friends aren’t ready for sleepovers because they’re still sleeping with their parents. She has a therapy routine. Loud sounds continue to bring out the jumpiness in her. She doesn’t like to be alone.
And she definitely doesn’t want to hear, see or talk about anything to do with the horrors of Valentine’s Day, not on the news or in
person. When it does come up, withdrawal sets in, her mother said. “Her mood changes; she goes to another place.”
So far, 40, including seven of the wounded and relatives of nine of the dead, have sent intent notices to the agencies claiming negligence for failing to protect the Parkland school community.
When Samara reunited with her parents on the day of the shooting, they embraced like never before. “There’s no words for that hug,” Michele Barrack said.
In the immediate aftermath, Samara was gripped in shock; the entire family was and remained there for weeks. Next, the tears. She did a lot of crying, her mother said, followed by the questions, “why? why? why?”
“She couldn’t understand why somebody would do this.”