A Nashville mother who said her daughter was injured after being thrown from a golf cart driven recklessly by a school resource officer in 2023 was awarded $110,00 in a settlement.
The lawsuit was originally filed in September 2024 by Rachel Kelly in Davidson County Circuit Court. It named the city's government, the school district and the school board as defendants. The Metro Nashville Public Schools board approved the settlement during its Aug. 11 meeting.
Chiari Batey, who is Kelly's daughter, was riding in a golf cart driven "at an accelerated and unsafe speed" by a school resource officer at Antioch High School in September 2023, according to court documents.
"As a direct result of the officer's excessive and reckless operation of the vehicle,
Chiari Batey was ejected from the golf cart and thrown onto the pavement," the complaint read.
It stated Batey sustained multiple injuries, including a concussion, a sprained knee and foot, abrasions and wounds and injuries to her head, neck and back. The suit included two counts of negligence and asked for compensation for the "injuries, pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of services of her daughter and medical expenses" Kelly incurred.
A response from the defendants filed in December 2024 denied most of the claims in the suit, which included the school resource officer's actions, a failure to exercise reasonable care and safety violations. They also denied the negligence counts. The defendants asked the judge to dismiss the suit.
The board approved a second settlement at the Aug. 11 meeting. That settlement was for $140,000 and arose from a motor vehicle accident involving a truck rented by MNPS and a motorcycle, according to Metro Nashville Department of Law Senior Counsel Nani Gilkerson.
Board members did not discuss either case, approving them in the board's consent agenda at the very end of the Aug. 11 meeting.
Evan Mealins contributed.
Rachel Wegner covers education and children's issues for The Tennessean. Got a story you think she should hear? Reach her via email at RAwegner@tennessean.com. You can also find her on X or Bluesky under the handle RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Family of student hurt in Antioch High golf cart crash gets $110K
