A lawsuit against Bristol University has been launched by parents of a student who accused the university of negligence in their daughter’s death by suicide.
Parents of Natasha Abrahart have filed a lawsuit against Bristol University for the death of their daughter by suicide. At the time of her death, Abrahart was a 20-year-old second-year physics student who struggled with social anxiety and was scheduled to do a test the morning she was found dead in her room.
The lawsuit against Bristol University
The lawsuit claims she was neglected by the university by falling short on providing reasonable care for their daughter’s wellbeing, health and safety. The lawsuit argued that the university ignored the warnings about her severe social anxiety, although they were aware of it. The lawsuit also acknowledges that their daughter’s death was preventable if Bristol University had shown concern to their daughter.
In an interview with Vice last year, Abrahart’s mother Margaret said that she would never have imagined her daughter would die of suicide. She continued by saying that if she would have been told to name people she knew, who might die by suicide, her daughter would never cross her mind.
The fact that the university knew about her condition and failed to act on it and help their daughter was a failure for the university. The parents also acknowledged that Abrahart had attempted suicide three times before the fateful day and that she was afraid of losing her place in the university if she failed to attend the conference for her test.
Robert Abrahart, her father, in an interview with the guardian, said that they knew there is nothing they could do to bring their daughter back. However, the lawsuit was meant to ensure that Bristol University took responsibility for their negligence and offer apologies or sympathies to the family. They also wanted to ensure that such an instance would never happen again at the university.
Suicide statistics across the UK
In the UK, a student loses his/her life every four days by suicide, and it mostly disproportionately affects freshers. During the period between October of 2016 and April, when Abrahart died, Bristol University had recorded 11 deaths. The lawsuit claimed that the university should have learned from past experiences about handling student’s mental health.
In its defense, Bristol University has argued that it had tried to help Abrahart numerous times. However, they could not comment on the lawsuit, saying the matter was in court. They also emphasized their commitment to students’ mental healthcare and said they have made care easily accessible to students and staff.
Featured image by Pixabay
