The family of 14-year-old Blessing Moukoko says it will seek its own accountability after a Quebec Coronor said the boy’s drowning death was “avoidable,” but “accidental.”
“We are suing the Commission Scolaire de Montreal and the City of Montreal,” said Jean-Pierre Ménard, the family’s lawyer.
The Coroner’s report released on Tuesday describes a video showing Moukoko sinking to the bottom of the pool during his school swimming lesson, and remaining there, unnoticed for a full 38 minutes, before being discovered and pulled from the water.
“There was nobody there to look after my son,” his mother said, tearfully, at a press conference at the family’s lawyer’s office.
She found it difficult at times to express the pain and frustration she has felt since her son’s death.
“Blessing was at the center of our lives,” she said, her voice breaking. “He was very very important for us. He was my champion.”
More should have been done to protect him, she said.
“When I send my son to school I expect them to ensure the security of my son,” she said. “I am fighting for my life now.”
“The shock almost killed me,” she said.
Ménard believes the death was caused by negligence on the part of the school board and the city. Both will be named in the suit.
The suit will not name the individual teacher, who was not adequately trained to be teaching the swimming class, according the coroner’s report, or the on-duty lifeguard, who left her post to assist in the instruction of the class.
Ménard said the family has not landed on a dollar figure for the suit, which he plans to file in the coming days, but he estimates the total will be close to a million dollars.
In addition to the lawsuit, family also announced that it will establish a foundation in Moukoko’s memory, to educate immigrant families about the importance of water safety, provide swimming lessons, and encourage youth sports.
Fundraising details for the foundation will come at a later date.