SACRAMENTO (CN) - Marine Corps recruiters killed her son by telling him to wear "a full body 'plastic suit' over his clothing and to exercise vigorously for a significant length of time," on a 100-degree day, a mother claims in Federal Court. Audrey Ruf says Marine recruiters told her son Daniel that he had to lose a "significant amount" of weight before he could enlist.
Ruf says the recruiters took her son to a health club in Tracy, Calif., on July 15, 2009 and told him to wear the body suit while he exercised. She says that as a result of working out in temperatures that exceeded 100 degrees, Daniel collapsed from hypothermia, heat stroke, and other injuries. His body temperature had risen to 108 degrees by the time paramedics came. He died on July 21.
When he died, Daniel was on "'non-pay status'" according to the enrollment form he had signed, and was "'not entitled to any benefits or privileges'" from the Marines, including death benefits or medical care.
But his mother says he died because of the recruiters' negligence, so she is entitled to reimbursement for his funeral expenses and medical bills.
She seeks damages for negligence and wrongful death. She is represented by Matthew Davis with Walkup Melodia of San Francisco.
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