Parker Swaar Injured In Shot Put Accident At Illini Central Middle School in Mason City

Unsafe Premises - May 4, 2025

Eighth-Grader Parker Swaar Injured at Illini Central Middle School During Track Meet After Being Hit by Shot Put

MASON CITY, ILLINOIS (May 4, 2025) – A student at Illini Central Middle School in Mason City identified as Parker Swaar was seriously injured during a track meet.

Mason County officials are saying that the accident took place on Saturday. Parker Swaar sustained a skull fracture after being accidentally struck by a shot put.

Paramedics were called to Illini Central Middle School in order to help the victim. Parker Swaar was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

District officials are reviewing safety protocols related to their athletic events. The circumstances surrounding the accident remained unknown at this time.

A full investigation into the accident remains ongoing.

Liability for Injuries During School Events

Far too many children are seriously injured every year on playgrounds and during school-sanctioned events. According to Stanford Medicine, “More than 3.5 million children ages 14 and younger get hurt annually playing sports or participating in recreational activities. Sports and recreational activities contribute to approximately 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among American children.” Certain activities have proven to be more dangerous than others.

• Basketball: Roughly 170,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14 were hospitalized after being injured while playing basketball.
• Football: An estimated 215,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14 were  hospitalized while playing football.
• Bicycling: Over 200,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14 were hospitalized while bicycling.
• Baseball: Approximately 11,000 children between the ages of 5 and 14 were hospitalized for baseball-related injuries.

Schools have a legal obligation to protect students from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm during all periods of the school day. This requires that students be properly supervised. It also requires that school officials enforce all rules and regulations necessary for the safety of children. If school officials failed to adequately supervise children in order to keep them safe, this could form the basis of a negligence claim. Supervision and safety procedures are critically important during shot put. At a minimum, schools should take the following steps to prevent accidents.

• Designated Areas: Schools should create designated areas for shot put that are away from other sports events.
• Supervision: Children should be monitored at all times by an adult coach or physical education teacher.
• Equipment: Schools should use age-appropriate shot puts. There are lighter and smaller shot puts that can be used by smaller children.
• Retrieval Protocol: Only one student should be allowed to throw at a time. The shot put should never be retrieved as another student is getting ready to throw.

School districts have faced a number of lawsuits after children have been injured during shot put. Consider, for example, Spearman v. Shelby County Board of Education. A 12-year-old student at Geeter Middle School sustained a major head injury after being hit in the head by a shot put thrown by a teacher’s assistant. A court of appeals ultimately held that the school district was liable through the Governmental Tort Liability Act. It is important that certain steps are taken after any child is injured during a school event.

• Treatment: Injured children should be given a thorough medical evaluation and receive all necessary treatment to recover. Many of the injuries associated with a traumatic accident may not be immediately obvious.
• Surveillance Footage: It should be determined if any surveillance footage may have potentially captured the accident. In many cases, students or other adults may record athletic events with their phones.
• Investigation: A thorough investigation into the actions of school officials should be conducted. Among other things, it should be determined if the victim was being adequately supervised.

The vast majority of accidents that take place in a school setting are preventable. Part of the problem is that teachers or coaches may become distracted because they are supervising too many different children. Another major issue is that certain teachers or coaches may not have received the necessary training in order to keep children safe during certain events. It is important that accident victims and their parents understand that they may be able to hold a school accountable for any accident through a civil claim.

Investigating Accidents at Illini Central Middle School

We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our best wishes to Parker Swaar and his family as he continues to recover. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. It is our sincere hope that steps are taken in order to prevent other children at Illini Central Middle School from being injured during athletic events. Many questions remain unanswered at this point.

Do you need more information about an accident at a school event in Illinois? Our team of school safety advocates is here to answer any questions that you may have. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that schools are held accountable for their negligent actions. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident, we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.