DOVER, N.H., Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The family of a student severely shocked during a prank in electrical trades class in Dover, N.H., is suing his teacher and school district, court papers say.
In a complaint filed in Strafford County Superior Court, Robert and Sandra Dubois and their 18-year-old son Kyle allege the Dover High School teacher, Thomas Kelley, actually encouraged Kyle and his friends in an incident that almost became fatal. The lawsuit charges Kelley offered Kyle a Mountain Dew if he submitted to a shock administered through alligator clamps on his nipples.
Kelley has denied being aware of what was going on, saying he was talking to another student during the March 11 incident.
The suit also says the teacher did not warn students of the dangers of electrical shock.
"As a master electrician and experienced teacher of electrical technology, Mr. Kelley knew or should have known that the electrical circuits in his classroom could administer harmful or fatal shocks to his students," the suit says.
After the 3-second electrical shock, Kyle Dubois's heart had to be restarted with a defibrillator, and he needed surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, the complaint says. He has since suffered problems, including short-term memory loss.
In addition to Kelley and the school district, the lawsuit names the city of Dover as a defendant.
