Student Suicide

Boston Student Suicide Lawsuit Attorney

When Colleges Ignore Signs of Depression and Suicide

Approximately 1,100 college and university students commit suicide each year. Often, these suicides are preventable. At Heinlein Beeler Mingace & Heineman, P.C., we provide compassionate representation to parents who have lost college students through suicide.

Contact a lawyer from Heinlein Beeler Mingace & Heineman, P.C. if you have legal concerns regarding student suicide. As a leading cause of death to college students, suicide is a danger that can’t be ignored.

Did the University Ignore the Warning Signs?

At Heinlein Beeler Mingace & Heineman, P.C., we understand parents of students who have committed suicide are experiencing deep feelings of sadness and anger. We strive to honor the life of your child while taking legal action against the liable college, university, and responsible administrators or staff. The risk of college student suicide is well known to these institutions. In fact, many academic institutions have adopted suicide prevention policies and initiatives to address the risk of student suicide.

A Look at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UI) mandates counseling assessment sessions when a student exhibits suicidal threats, suicidal attempts, or a preoccupation with suicide. These mandatory counseling sessions have dramatically decreased the suicide rate at UI.

Colleges and universities have legal and ethical duties to college students who exhibit signs or symptoms of depression, mental health illness, or suicidal tendencies and they can, depending on the applicable law, be held liable for failing to meet these duties.

Signs of Suicide Risk – Did the University Take Proper Action?

Academic administrators such as deans, residence hall advisors, and professors can also, in appropriate cases, be held responsible for failing to respond appropriately to students who exhibit signs of mental health distress or depression. Some signs include:

Excessive alcohol and/or drug use
Missing class
Poor grades
Weight loss
Antisocial behavior
A history of being sexually assaulted or raped
Suicidal tendencies, thoughts, statements or actions

College Negligence – Were You or Was Your Child Injured on Campus?

Our attorneys also represent individuals who have been injured on campus – employees injured on the job, students injured due to an on-campus assault, students injured in dorms, and visitors to college campuses. We work to hold colleges accountable if their actions have contributed to causing an accident.

Contact Us

Our firm helps parents and guardians through the legal components of dealing with a student suicide. Contact us to learn more about student suicide lawsuits.