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Father of Lewiston student who drowned on school field trip sues city and state

Ali Abdisamad is suing the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, which is responsible for the Maine State Parks and the City of Lewiston, for his son's death.

LEWISTON, Maine — The father of a Lewiston middle-school student who drowned while on a school field trip is suing the city of Lewiston and the state of Maine in a wrongful death lawsuit. 

Ali Abdisamad filed the federal lawsuit Thursday against the Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, which is responsible for the Maine state parks, and the City of Lewiston.

RELATED: Lewiston Public School System Re-Vamps Field Trip Policy

Rayan A. Issa died on June 12, 2018 while on a field trip to Range Pond State Park in Poland with the Lewiston Middle School. Authorities and the suit say the seventh-grader was underwater for more than 20 minutes before he was found. 

The lawsuit alleges there were only 11 adult chaperones for the 111 students and that the state park only provided one lifeguard. According to the suit, when students arrived at Range Pond State Park, chaperones talked with them about safety rules, but the lifeguard never spoke to the kids about safety. 

RELATED: Lewiston schools revising field trip policies in wake of drowning

Sometime after 11 a.m., a student told a chaperone that he could not find Rayan, according to the lawsuit. A witness said the lifeguard on duty appeared not to know what to do in the situation and asked other chaperones to get in the water and look for the 13-year-old. 

The lawsuit alleges that the city of Lewiston and state park failed to follow their own protocols and created a danger for Rayan Issa when they had a duty to protect him. 

"Actions and deliberate indifference were so egregious and outrageous that they shock the contemporary conscience," according to the lawsuit.  

The seventh-grader was taken to Central Maine Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. 

The suit seeks pecuniary compensation for injuries including medical and funeral expenses. An exact amount is not listed in the suit. 

 "Unfortunately this is an incident that really could have been avoided and the hope that is to avoid further instances like this that can be avoided," said Abdisamad lawyer's Verne Paradie.  

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