Judge Sides With Rhode Island in Trespasser Lawsuit
A judge has ruled against a former Rhode Island high-school student who was burned with sulfuric acid after breaking into a vacant school overseen by the state.
The Providence Journal reports the state is not responsible for injuries sustained by Steven Burton after he and several friends trespassed at the Ladd School in Exeter in November 2005.
Burton, who was 17-years-old at the time, was burned after one of his friends dropped a bottle of sulfuric acid.
Burton filed a lawsuit in 2006 against the state and others that alleged the state was negligent in maintaining the property and therefore responsible for his injuries.
The ruling criticizes the state for leaving sulfuric acid on the property but says Burton should have known better.
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