A Clarendon County jury awarded a $1 million verdict Thursday to the families of two boys allegedly forced to play “the choking game” with a volunteer counselor at Clemson University’s Camp Bob Cooper in 2008.

Ronald Edward “Eddie” Riley, then 17, served as a junior counselor to boys ages 12 and younger at the camp on Lake Marion in Summerton. He outweighed each of the campers by at least 100 pounds, according to court records.

Riley grabbed the boys and attempted to choke or successfully choked four of them, arrest reports say.

The so-called “choking game” causes a brief high but comes with the risk of serious injury or death.

The criminal case against Riley, now 21, remains open.

The civil trial that ended Thursday accused the federal program, Operation: Military Kid, Clemson and its Youth Learning Institute and Camp Bob Cooper, of negligence. The verdict awards $500,000 to each boy’s family.

Both military families lived in Summerville at the time of the incident but both have been restationed in other cities since then. Their lawyer, David Savage of Charleston, said the camp placed Riley in charge of young boys without training or supervision.

“He made a MySpace page of himself holding a knife up to his lips saying, ‘Be quiet. This is going to hurt.’ That’s how he advertised himself,” Savage said. “They did no background check on him.”

Clemson University spokeswoman Cathy Sams said Camp Bob Cooper has implemented standards for camper supervision in the years since the incident. She criticized the jury’s decision Thursday.

“We believe the award is excessive, is not supported by the facts in the case, and we will appeal,” Sams said.

Sams said the 2008 incident marked the first of its kind in Camp Bob Cooper’s 50-year history.

The Centers for Disease Control said in 2008 that 82 children had died from the “choking game,” a fad popular for the euphoric, dreamlike feeling caused as blood rushes back to the brain.

Seeking Justice For Victims of Abuse

Abuse perpetrated by an authority figure is an appalling reality for far too many children and adolescents  across the country. Foster care parents, teachers, day care workers, and other trusted adults who negligently supervise children ruin lives and cause irreparable psychological damage and death.

The individual foster care parent can be tried as a criminal, but can rarely be held financially accountable. His or her sponsoring or employing organization—the foster care agency, or other public or corporate entity—may be liable for its failure to adequately supervise and screen the foster care parent.

If you have been seriously injured or a family member sustained fatal injuries involving  abuse, you need to contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler or another experienced law firm immediately to protect your legal rights and preserve the evidence.  Claims for damages against a public entity or governmental entity are complex and they have “strict time limitations”.  So do not delay and contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler today!