PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The family of a teacher killed by a falling pole at Roxborough High School is suing the School District of Philadelphia for negligence.
According to the lawsuit, the district should have known a 45-foot wooden utility pole on the grounds of the Roxborough High School athletic field was in danger of collapse. As 73-year-old retired Germantown Academy teacher Paula Budin walked by the pole on Dec. 5, 2024, it fell over, crushing and killing her.
Attorney Lorraine Donnelly, of the firm Kline & Specter, filed the suit, which seeks compensatory damages, against the district on behalf of Budin’s family Friday in Common Pleas Court.
“It appears that the school had never inspected these poles. [If] a professional were to inspect these poles, the damage would be obvious,” Donnelly said.
“The school has a duty to regularly inspect and maintain these poles for the safety of anyone on their grounds, so that’s what we expected them to do and that’s what they failed to do.”
The lawsuit has alleged a clogged storm drain near the pole permitted standing water to collect, allowing the pole to deteriorate at its base. A spokesperson for the school district said it didn’t comment on pending litigation.
The suit claims the district should have known the 45-foot pole was in poor condition and would collapse
The suit claims the district should have known the 45-foot pole was in poor condition and would collapse
