Leiria parents seek €500,000 after student's death at school

The parents of a 15-year-old student who died in a school accident in Leiria are seeking nearly 500,000 euros in compensation. The lawsuit, filed in the Central Civil Court of Leiria, names a teacher and the religious congregation that owns the Colégio Conciliar de Maria Imaculada as defendants.

The claim seeks approximately 233,000 euros for patrimonial damages and 265,000 euros for non-patrimonial damages, including the loss of the right to life. The incident occurred on May 25, 2021, during a physical education class when a soccer goal, which was reportedly not secured to the ground or weighted, fell on the student after he hung from it.

In a previous criminal proceeding, a teacher was sentenced to a suspended one-year and two-month prison term for negligent homicide. While the school's director was not taken to trial, the civil indemnity request has now been moved to the civil courts, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 22.