“Parents of Belleville girl who died after visit to haunted house are suing - News-Democrat” |
| Parents of Belleville girl who died after visit to haunted house are suing - News-Democrat Posted: 09 Dec 2010 07:47 PM PST The parents of a 15-year-old Belleville girl are suing the owners of a St. Louis haunted house, alleging their asthmatic daughter died because of artificial fog and scents in the attraction. Britney Holmes died Nov. 14 after spending about a year in a vegetative state. The teen visited The Darkness for Halloween in 2009 with her mother, and had trouble breathing on the way home. An inhaler didn't help, and Britney's brain was deprived of oxygen for more than seven minutes by the time she arrived at the hospital. Britney's father, Durand Tyler, of Anchorage, Alaska, filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday in St. Louis Circuit Court against Halloween Productions Inc., which operates the attraction in the Soulard neighborhood. Britney's mother, Vanessa Neal, of Belleville, had filed a personal injury lawsuit in April, but Tyler said he did not know about the lawsuit until after Britney died. The cases may be consolidated. Larry Kirchner, president of Halloween Productions, said the allegations are false and declined further comment because of the ongoing legal dispute. Kirchner referred to a statement on the business' website, scarefest.com, which claims that Britney did not have an asthma attack at the haunted house and the attraction did not cause her condition. The site also stated warning signs were clearly in place at the attraction advising against entry if one is pregnant, claustrophobic, prone to seizures, heart or respiratory problems. Tyler said he filed a suit against the business because of the possibility there are dangerous chemicals in the artificial fog, smoke and scents at the haunted house. "If there is or was something in the haunted house causing the problem, I don't want any other kids or grownups going in there and getting hurt," Tyler said. The wrongful death suit also alleges the business failed to provide a safe environment for its customers suffering from respiratory ailments and failed to adequately and timely monitor the chemical in the air. Tyler said he also wants to protect his family financially: Britney's medical bills total more than $1 million. "I just want to make sure the bills get paid, if the court finds they're liable for it," Tyler said. Britney had asthma since she was 4, and was allergic to grass, dust, mildew, tree nuts and peanuts. Tyler said he didn't know if Britney or Neal saw warning signs at the haunted house. Neal could not immediately be reached for comment. According to Tyler, both he and Neal are retired from the Air Force. Britney lived with Neal, who was based at Scott Air Force Base. Tyler said his daughter enjoyed skateboarding, fishing and rock music. "Britney was a free spirit. She was into making little movies and playing jokes on people. She was a strong-willed person," Tyler said. "I didn't get to see everything because of the distance, but what I did see, it was beautiful. "There are times I just cry because I couldn't be with her all the time because of our situation, and now she's gone." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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