Maui couple sues state
over son’s run-in with bees
WAILUKU >> A couple has filed a lawsuit against the state, charging that their son suffered "severe and permanent physical injury" as a result of bee stings he received at school.
Maui residents Robert and Pam Grossman said their son Zachary developed an increasing sensitivity to the bee stings at Samuel E. Kalama Intermediate School in Makawao and the last sting resulted in him nearly dying.
The family's attorney, James Krueger, said he and the parents took a look at the campus a couple of months ago and found there were 15 to 20 small bee hives on the buildings.
"It's a clear indication of inappropriate maintenance," Krueger said.
Kalama Intermediate Principal John Costales said he had not seen the lawsuit and declined to comment.
Costales said he was not the school principal two years ago, when Zachary received the bee stings.
Pam Grossman said Zachary was in the sixth grade when he was stung by a bee on three separate occasions at the school.
She said after receiving the third sting on May 31, 2001, he went into anaphylactic shock, had difficulty breathing, and nearly died before receiving emergency medical treatment.
Grossman said she and her husband decided to file the lawsuit so the state would make the Kalama facilities safe for students.
Grossman said her son, after nearly dying, was afraid of going out of the house, because he knew a bee sting could kill him.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Maui Circuit Court.