A mother has filed a lawsuit against the Edmonds School District, alleging her son with special needs was seriously injured by his teacher at Cedar Way Elementary School in Mountlake Terrace.
The incident happened in April 2023, when the boy, a 10-year-old diagnosed with ADHD and other behavioral disabilities, was alone with his special education teacher, according to court documents. The lawsuit claims the child became overwhelmed and asked for a break. Instead, the teacher allegedly walked out of a metal door and “forcefully pulled it shut” as the student tried to follow.
According to court documents, the door closed “with enough force to completely sever the tip of the child’s right middle finger.” The boy screamed and banged on a window as the teacher walked away before freeing himself and seeking help from another staff member.
“The mother had to take the boy to Children’s Hospital to sew the fingertip back,” said Chris Davis, principal attorney with Davis Law Group. “She’s pretty upset with how the school handled it.”
Doctors were able to reattach the fingertip in surgery, but Davis said the injury’s effects have lingered. “The boy did everything with his right hand, whether it was sports or writing,” Davis said. “I think most people can understand that getting a finger pinched and actually severed in a door jamb is incredibly painful.”
Davis said his client’s son continues to struggle with lasting trauma. “The boy has recurring nightmares, and he still thinks about the teacher. He’s still mistrustful of other teachers and people in authority because of what happened to him, for sure.”
The attorney called the case “pretty egregious” and said it is unlike anything he has handled before. “This incident happened, the boy was severely injured. We want to make sure that it doesn’t happen again to any other child,” the attorney said.
The family is seeking six figures in damages and says the lawsuit is about both accountability and student safety. The Edmonds School District declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
The incident raises questions about training and protocols for special education teachers working with students who have behavioral disabilities. Students with ADHD and similar conditions often require de-escalation techniques and safe spaces to manage overwhelming situations, rather than physical barriers or isolation.
The teacher’s alleged action of forcefully closing a door while a student attempted to follow violates standard protocols for managing student behavior, particularly for children with special needs who may not fully comprehend dangerous situations.
The timing of the lawsuit, filed more than a year after the April 2023 incident, suggests the family may have attempted to resolve the matter through district channels before pursuing legal action.
Finger amputations and reattachments in children can result in reduced sensation, limited mobility, and chronic pain even after successful surgery, potentially affecting the child’s ability to write, play sports, and perform other activities requiring fine motor skills.
The psychological trauma described, including recurring nightmares and distrust of authority figures, represents potentially long-term impacts that may require ongoing therapy and support services beyond the physical injury.
