Mar 31, 2008 2:22 pm US/Eastern
Family Claims Bully Put Lynn Boy In Hospital
LYNN, Mass. (WBZ) ―
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Alyssa Cormier told WBZ that her son, Mathew Mumbauer, is paralyzed and on a ventilator at Massachusetts General Hospital, suffering from pnuemonia.
WBZ
An 11-year-old boy from Lynn is in intensive care and his family claims he is a victim of bullying.
Alyssa Cormier told WBZ that her son, Mathew Mumbauer, is paralyzed and on a ventilator at Massachusetts General Hospital, suffering from pneumonia.
Cormier claims the incident happened March 11 at the Brickett Elementary School, where Mumbauer is a student.
Cormier told WBZ her son was pushed down a flight of stairs by a boy who had been bullying him. She said her son complained of pain later in the day and had to be carried out by the school nurse.
Two days later Mumbauer was experiencing paralysis, according to his family.
In the hospital, he told a doctor he was not sure if the push was intentional. "Kids should be safe," said Cormier. "You think you're kids safe when they're sent to school, and they're not."
The family spoke to Lynn Police Monday.
Police said they're looking into the alleged incident, but haven't confirmed anything yet. "The exact cause of his medical condition and what may have occurred remains to be determined… Detectives will be examining all possibilities," said Lt. Dave Brown in a written statement.
"This incident was alleged to have occurred several weeks ago. Police did not learn of the allegations until this past weekend."
Dr. Elizabeth Englander, professor of psychology at Bridgewater State College says it can be difficult to prove bullying. "Often when it's in the bullying stages, children don't give evidence to adults, so adults may not have any evidence of it…It's one of the rules of childhood that you don't go to adults and tell them about these things."
According to the Lynn Daily Item, Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan was out of town on vacation, and had not been briefed on the accusations.
School Committee Secretary Thomas Iarrobino told the paper that school officials spoke with staff at the school and they were unaware of any incident.
The family is holding a fundraiser on April 12 at the First Congregational Church in Saugus to help with Matthew's mounting medical expenses.
Doctor's say Matthew's prognosis is still up in the air, but there are signs he will recover.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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