Teachers at a school in Houston, Texas ignored the cries of a disabled student who was in pain and stuck on the floor. Teachers and staff ignored the injured Kyle Bensurto, an 11-year-old boy, until they finally called for medical assistance.
Videos by Wide Open Country
This happened on November 5 at Quail Valley Middle School, located in Fort Bend Independent School District (ISD). Kyle, who is autistic and non-verbal, fell to the floor and was unable to get up. Meanwhile, he shattered his femur in the process, and his cries of pain were completely ignored by the school staff.
Disabled Student Neglected By Teachers After Injury
After two hours, the employees finally got in contact with Hermann Bensurto, the boy's father. The mother, Maryann Bensurto, drove to the school and found him still lying on the floor. She then called her husband.
"I heard in the background the nurse was asking, 'Do we need to call an ambulance?' And I was like, 'Like, what? Don't they know my son was laying there for two hours?' and I was like, 'Yes,'" Hermann told ABC13.
Hermann continued to describe how he could hear his son screaming from the phone. He was gobsmacked, unable to comprehend how the school staff didn't know what to do.
Then Maryann took video footage of her son writhing on the floor in pain while at school for proof.
"It was like an animal struggling on the road and people just surrounding it, waiting for him to die," Hermann continued. "That's how I describe it. I'm sorry but that's what it looked like."
The family's attorney, Joe Matthew, looked over the classroom surveillance video. The footage length shocked him. It took two hours and 15 minutes for the teachers to take any action. This all happened during lunch when the students and teachers ate lunch while the disabled student continued to lie on the floor.
"What do they do? They leave him on the ground for two hours while they're sitting around, talking, laughing, eating lunch and ordering orange chicken," said Matthew.
A Loss Of Trust
Finally, they admitted Kyle to the hospital, and he went through surgery to fix his femur. While still requiring additional care, Kyle received a metal plate and eight pins in his thigh. The boy is also currently bound to his wheelchair as he recovers from surgery at home.
In a statement to ABC13 Eyewitness News, Fort Bend ISD said this: "Staff members involved in this incident are no longer employed by the district. We remain committed to creating a safe and secure learning environment for every student."
Despite this message, the Bensurto family is desperate for answers as to how this could have happened. Hermann also explained how they are untrustworthy of school staff, and will find it difficult to gain that trust. "The neglect, incompetence of these people. They need to know what's going on," the father said.
