Young girl forced to sit in own urine and faeces at school after tragic crash

A young girl who suffered life-changing injuries after a car crash that killed her mum is being forced to sit in her own waste at school, her grandmother claims.

A young girl left with serious bowel and spinal injuries after a car crash that claimed the life of her mother is having to sit in her own urine and faeces at school, her grandmother claims.

Amateil Speers, 8, is suffering this indignity only because Raceview State School has denied her, on multiple occasions, the support worker she is entitled to according to allegations by her grandmother and legal guardian Sharon Wilson.

But it is understood the school was unaware of a meeting where a request for an additional support worker was made or of Ms Wilson’s claims that Amateil was left to sit after a toileting accident.

Amateil was two years old when she, her brother Mason and their mother Natasha Wilson were involved in a head-on crash in Mt Isa in 2019. Natasha died at the scene.

Sharon Wilson with her granddaughter Amateil Speers. Pic: Annette Dew

Amateil and her brother Mason, now 13, were taken in by their grandmother.

Amateil said she didn’t like “the silly decisions the grown-ups are doing.”

“I just want to play with my friends but I can’t,” she said.

Ms Wilson said Amateil and her brother both had National Insurance Injury Scheme who had offered to provide Amateil with a fully paid worker to take her to the bathroom during class, but the school had declined.

“They (NIISQ) have actually offered the school, years ago, to pay for a worker to go in the school and be with Amateil all day … the school has refused that on numerous occasions, and I’m not sure why.”

It is understood teacher aides were available to help Amateil if she needed and were part of her toileting plan, developed with a team of specialists including an occupational therapist.

But Ms Wilson said the school had told her they couldn’t implement a support worker because staff would “get their nose out of joint” if the worker got more hours.

“She deserves a schooling life like everybody else, and she deserves a (proper) bathroom.”

Ms Wilson said her granddaughter would regularly have to take a change of clothes to school for when she “soaked through” her pull up nappies.

Amateil Speers was injured in a car accident that killed her mother. Picture: Annette Dew

“I’m on the verge of taking her out and homeschooling her because I need to give her the access to a bathroom so she can build her bladder up,” she said.

A Department of Education spokesman said the school had no record of the alleged incident and had not declined a support worker.

“Students’ health needs are always a top priority, and the school continues to work with the family and a team of health workers to implement and review the current toileting plan to support the student.”

“Teacher aides are always available to assist if needed, and the school has recently upgraded the bathroom to cater exclusively for this student’s needs,” the spokesman said.

Ms Wilson said they were told Amateil would never walk again following the accident and that she feared the decision from the school would have a “detrimental impact on Amateil’s ongoing recovery” and lead to an unnecessary bladder surgery.

“If the school keeps stopping her from using the toilet it could lead to her needing an operation.”

Shine Lawyers Solicitor Madeleine Routley said she hoped common sense would prevail and the school would allow Amateil to access the help she needs.

“The school is robbing this young girl of her dignity. It would really empower her in terms of her recovery, because using the toilet is something doctors thought she’d never be able to do.

In a statement, Shine Lawyers said it was representing the family in relation to the CTP (Compulsory Third Party) claims arising from the crash in 2019.

“There is no civil claim against the school or department, we are simply advocating for our client in the hope she gets the help which has been offered.”

Originally published as Young girl forced to sit in own urine and faeces at school after tragic crash