District sued over fallen ceiling tile
Student in the Greenwich High School student center hit in April 2018
GREENWICH — A Greenwich High School student who was hit on the head by a falling ceiling tile while she was eating lunch in the GHS student center last year is suing the Greenwich Public Schools.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Alesha Pivalo, says “negligence and carelessness” on behalf of the school system was to blame for the incident. School staff members “should have foreseen that the ceiling tiles were wet and capable of falling and creating a dangerous area directly below,” the lawsuit says.
The incident took place on the afternoon of April 16, 2018, at a lunch table in the student center. A heavy rainstorm had passed through the region on that date. The lawsuit in State Superior Court does not reference weather conditions at the time.
The student was taken by ambulance for treatment after she was struck in the head; the lawsuit says she suffered a concussion. Pivalo, who turned 18 earlier this year, was named as the plaintiff in the lawsuit previously filed by a family member.
Greenwich High School has
been plagued by plumbing leaks in other parts of the building, in particular the Performing Arts Center. In December 2018, water damaged the gym and other adjacent rooms in Greenwich High, as well as the arts center after a pipe broke. The cost of repairs, which took many weeks to complete, came to more than $500,000. There was also a leak in the mechanical room below the GHS science wing in November.
The amount of damages specified in the lawsuit was not specified. The suit also seeks reimbursement for the costs involved in her medical care.
The school administration has not submitted a formal response to the lawsuit. A schools spokesman, Michael Antonaccio, said via email that the matter was a pending legal issue, and following policy, he would not comment.
A judge authorized the discovery phase of the litigation, with documents being provided to both parties, to continue.