Parents of high school athlete sue coach, others for wrongful death

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    Clayton County, Georgia (WGCL) — The parents of a high school athlete who died of heatstroke in Clayton County in 2019 have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against their daughter’s basketball coach and several others.

Imani Bell was a 16-year-old junior at Elite Scholars Academy.

The lawsuit alleges that on August 13th, 2019, Imani was taking part in mandatory conditioning drills in the roughly 98-degree heat when she collapsed after running up the football stadium steps.

According to the lawsuit, the defendants “observed Imani experiencing early signs of heat illness during the outdoor practice but nevertheless directed Imani to continue performing the conditioning drills with her team and directed Imani to run up the stadium steps.”

The lawsuit says a GBI autopsy revealed Imani had no preexisting conditions and that she “died of a heatstroke caused by strenuous physical exertion in extreme temperatures.” They’re suing the girls basketball coach, the school’s athletic director, its principal and several others, claiming they failed to follow mandated safety guidelines established by the Clayton County School Board and the Clayton County Public School System’s Heat Index Policy.

CBS46 has reached out to school district officials for a comment.

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