ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — A St. Tammany Parish jury has awarded a $129 million judgment to the family of a young girl hit by a truck and killed at school.
On February 23, 2022, 6-year-old Emma Savoie was participating in the “run club” at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Slidell. Court documents said she was trying to catch up with her brother when she ran across a parking lot and was hit by a truck.
Savoie was taken to Slidell Memorial Hospital, where she died not long after.
Court filings from the plaintiffs and defendants– Our Lady of Lourdes Church and its insurers– alternately call Savoie’s death a “tragic and unavoidable accident” and describe it as a consequence of the school’s “dangerous” lack of oversight on the running club.
Friday, the jury ruled in the Savoie family’s favor, awarding them $129 million in damages.
Defendants still have the ability to appeal. Whatever amount the family takes home, however, Emma’s mother Amy Savoie told the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate that it will be put toward advocacy work.
Since Emma’s death, her parents have pushed for more traffic safety awareness around schools. They founded the Emma Bell Foundation, which partnered with the St. Tammany Parish school district to create “Safe Path to School Day” last year.
"With a little more education, a little more self-awareness, we can make a difference,” Emma’s father, Brent Savoie, said at the time.
Our Lady of Lourdes declined to comment on Wednesday's outcome of the case. The school is part of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ system, though the Archdiocese was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
An Archdiocese spokesperson sent WWL Louisiana the following statement:
"We know that no words or actions can heal the Savoie family after such a tragic loss. The community at Our Lady of Lourdes and throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans continue to remember Emma with love and to pray for the entire Savoie family. The Our Lady of Lourdes community stands ready to offer any and all pastoral support available to assist in the family’s healing."
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