The parents of a teenager are to sue his school after he was knocked down and killed while crossing the road.
William Avery-Wright died after he was struck as he walked to rugby practice outside Worth School in Turners Hill, near Crawley.
The school then announced the death and published a tribute to the 13-year-old on its website – before his father had been told he had been killed.
Now the family are demanding compensation, saying staff broke their own health and safety guidelines by not having an adult help William across the road.
Lisa Avery-Wright, William’s mother, said her husband Christopher was in a police car being taken from Haywards Heath railway station to East Surrey Hospital to see his son when he began receiving messages of condolences.
At that stage he knew his son had been injured but did not know he had died.
Mrs Avery-Wright, 43, from Crowborough, said: “It was a fiasco. I received a phone call telling me William had been involved in an accident.
“I was taken to hospital by the police. The police said not to tell Christopher what had happened on the phone and that it was an appalling way to break the news.
"But so many people had read about it on Facebook that as soon as he got into Haywards Heath he began to receive messages, emails and texts. He was flooded with messages.”
Accept mistakes
She said that compensation was not her main aim, and she would be happy “not to receive a penny”, but she wanted Worth School to accept its mistakes.
She said the school had published an alert online, emailed parents and gathered students to tell them about William’s death.
Fields Fisher Waterhouse, the firm of solicitors representing the Avery-Wrights, confirmed it had received a letter from the school saying it accepted liability for the accident but that a final settlement had not yet been agreed.
School's sympathy
A pre-inquest meeting will take place today in Horsham.
A statement from Worth School said: “The school continues to feel every sympathy and extend deep condolences towards the Avery-Wright family in their tragic loss.
"We are unable to comment further until the completion of the legal process.”
Detective Superintendent Nick May, of Sussex Police, said: “There is no longer a criminal investigation taking place into the sad death of William Avery-Wright. A date is due to be set this week for his inquest to take place.”
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