Boy Impaled On Splinter Sues Wood Slide Owner

FREDERICK, Md. (AP) -- A Thurmont boy who was impaled by a giant splinter on a wooden slide is suing the Frederick County church that owns the structure.

Christian Griffith's father Nolan filed the complaint Friday in Frederick County Circuit Court. It seeks $500,000 from Mount Tabor Lutheran and United Church of Christ in Rocky Ridge.

The church's lawyer declined to comment Wednesday on the complaint.

The incident occurred in August 2010 at a park owned by the church. The boy was 8 when he slid headfirst down the 40-foot slide and was pierced in the lower abdomen by an 8-to-12-inch splinter.

The complaint alleges the defendants should have known about dangerous splinters because of previous incidents in which people were hurt.

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