An 8-year-old boy died after choking on pineapple at his Nevada elementary school, where staff allegedly sent him to the bathroom alone instead of providing immediate help. His mother has filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District, claiming negligence led to his death. The case highlights failures in emergency response during the lunch period.
On February 25, 2025, Cruzito Tank Ruiz, an 8-year-old student at Bass Elementary School in Nevada, was eating lunch when a piece of pineapple lodged in his airway. According to the lawsuit filed by his mother, Amanda Corbala, and representatives of his estate, the boy approached a school employee, signaling distress with his hands to his mouth. Another student informed the employee that Cruzito was sick, yet the staff member directed him to leave the crowded cafeteria and go to the boys' restroom alone, without alerting other adults, calling for the nurse, or initiating emergency procedures.
The complaint, a 26-page document, alleges this decision isolated Cruzito from potential lifesaving aid, including CPR training that staff had received. Surveillance footage from the cafeteria reportedly shows the boy choking before, during, and after his interaction with the employee. The employee provided two conflicting written statements: one denying memory of the incident or any distress, and another noting the boy seemed unwell with puffed cheeks but claiming she redirected him to a trash can rather than the bathroom.
Approximately five minutes later, the employee instructed other staff to check the restroom, where Cruzito had collapsed, turned blue, and was twitching, as observed by students who later entered. By the time 911 was called and emergency responders arrived, the boy had suffered cardiac arrest. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed on March 2, 2025, to an anoxic brain injury secondary to the cardiac arrest.
The seven-count lawsuit accuses the district of deliberate indifference and foreseeable harm, seeking extensive damages. It notes that students reported Cruzito choking and vomiting at the table, and the employee was seen wiping up liquid afterward. Corbala's attorneys, Farhan R. Naqvi and Andre M. Lagomarsino, stated: "Cruzito died at just 8 years old because a Clark County School District employee ordered him to go to the bathroom alone while he was choking at school. The family is heartbroken by the loss of their beloved Cruzito. His mother and family want to make sure it never happens again."