The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been accused of negligence after a 12-year-old sustained a serious injury that led to the loss of his foot while on an official Church trip.
A lawsuit out of Wyoming has been brought against the Church on behalf of two boys who were on the trip in 2022. They were ages 12 and 14 at the time, ABC4 reports.
According to the lawsuit, the brothers were participating in a boating activity in the Boysen Reservoir at the time of the incident.
A member of the Church's Young Women's group was reportedly driving the boat. A 12-year-old boy was feeding a rope to an inner tube in the water when the driver allegedly accelerated the boat. The acceleration caused the rope to tighten and wrap around the 12-year-old's left foot, causing deep lacerations that effectively severed the foot below the boy's ankle.
The driver reportedly stopped the boat, but could not restart it because the engine flooded. At the same time, the 14-year-old — the other boy named in the lawsuit — called 911 for help.
While they waited for help, the 14-year-old tied a tourniquet to his injured brother's leg and tried to paddle his brother to the shore on an inner tube, according to the lawsuit.
The boy underwent medical treatments, including two amputations, and multiple surgeries. His foot could not be saved.
The lawsuit alleges that the boy suffered severe mental, emotional, and psychological trauma and irreparable, life-altering harm resulting from the incident. It also alleges that his brother suffered emotional and psychological trauma from witnessing and responding to the incident and seeing the effect of the injury on his brother.
The filing argued that the Church, which was leading the boating activity, had a responsibility to the children in its care and that it failed to provide a safe environment and proper training for its personnel.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for the boys' medical bills and for loss of future and past enjoyment of life.
The Church issued a response to the lawsuit on Monday. It denied that it had failed in any of its obligations or legal responsibilities, and denied that the accident was the result of any inappropriate or erroneous acts taken by its personnel.
The statement says that there are inherent risks associated with activities like boating the it cannot prevent, and added that the Church member involved in the incident is protected under the volunteer immunity doctrine, which provides some legal protections to individuals acting as volunteers.
The Church said that the “injuries are the result of a rare and unforeseen accident that happened in the absence of negligence or lack of due care by the Defendant."
The Independent has requested comment from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. .
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