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Purdue Freshman Died in Utility Room at Dorm
Wade Steffey was a 19-year-old freshman at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana when he died in an accidental electrocution on university property on January 13. The university recently agreed to give Steffey's parents a $500,000 settlement and set up a $100,000 endowment to create a memorial scholarship in Wade's name.
Maximum Award under Indiana Law
The settlement was paid in a lump sum to Steffey's parents, Dale Steffey and Dawn Adams, residents of Bloomington. The settlement is the maximum amount that can be obtained from a public institution in a wrongful death case under Indiana law, said the parents' attorney, Mike Miller. The parents never filed a lawsuit.
Joseph L. Bennett, Purdue's vice president for university relations, said "This agreement brings to a close a tragic chapter in the history of the Purdue family…the entire university community continues to mourn for the loss of this young man."
Two Months Before Body Was Found
Wade Steffey was last seen at a fraternity party. He'd left his coat in a dorm building, and he apparently entered a utility room in that building after being unable to enter through other doors. When he was unlocatable for days after the accident, the university conducted a search. Although the search covered the utility room, Steffey's body was missed in the search, and two months passed before his body was found.
The university hired a consulting group to investigate the accident. That group concluded that Steffey entered the building after climbing over or through a railing-and-step and down into a concrete area that is about four feet below ground level. In the unlit space, he apparently put his finger into an opening in a transformer and was thus electrocuted. The university could not explain why the utility room was not locked.
Prompting Safety Checks
Dale Steffey stated that he and his wife hope the university's settlement will prompt other schools across the U.S. to evaluate their own safety procedures. He said, "Anger is a very destructive emotion…you don't want to hang on to that very long. This is a way to let that go."
(Source: Washington Post)
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