Parents of child killed after Bluffton Christmas parade sue town, driver, sports group
The parents of the 5-year-old boy who died after being run over by a trailer at the close of the 2019 Bluffton Christmas parade filed a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday against the town of Bluffton and several others.
On Dec. 7, 2019, Ameer Frazier was riding on a float for the Bluffton Bulldogs, the nonprofit organization for which he played football.
The float had turned into the Red Cedar Elementary School parking lot at the end of the annual Bluffton Christmas Parade when Ameer and another child “lowered their feet so their shoes would drag on the pavement,” the lawsuit said. The driver of the truck “momentarily” stopped the vehicle before “suddenly and without warning” pulling forward, which caused Ameer to fall to the pavement, the suit said.
As the truck continued to move forward, the trailer ran over Ameer, the suit said.
Ameer was treated by Beaufort County EMS before being transported to the Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, where he was pronounced dead. His cause of death was listed as blunt head trauma, the county coroner previously confirmed.
Ameer’s parents, Tiffany Latrice Ford and Thaddeus Frazier, are suing the Town of Bluffton and the Bluffton Bulldogs. They are also suing David Lee Swiger, who the lawsuit alleges was driving the truck that pulled the trailer, and his wife, Kristen Swiger, a passenger in the truck who organized Bluffton Bulldog members to participate in the parade.
The lawsuit says the Town of Bluffton is “liable for the negligent acts of its agents, contractors, and employees.”
The lawsuit alleges that David and Kristen Swiger, the Bulldogs and the Town of Bluffton were reckless and negligent in their son’s death, causing them grief and sorrow.
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Kimberly Berry of Greenville, did not immediately respond to calls for comment Thursday.
The Town of Bluffton will turn the case over to its insurance reserve fund Thursday, according to Bluffton Town Attorney Terry Finger.
“This was certainly a tragedy on every level,” Finger said. “The town feels for the family, and a lawsuit was expected.”
Ameer loved to run, his aunt, Carletha Frazier Singleton, told the Island Packet after the accident.
“He had a smile that could light up a room,” Singleton said. “He was always a happy little boy.”
