Parents of 11yo autistic boy grieve his ‘entirely preventable’ death in care of Civic Disability Services – ABC News
7.30/By national disability affairs reporter Elizabeth Wright and the Specialist Reporting Team’s Celina Edmonds
Posted 14/2/22
When her 11-year-old son Alex died almost five years ago, Sharon Braverman said she lost her life’s purpose.
Key points:
- Alex Raichman died in April 2018 after he escaped from respite care run by Civic Disability Services and was hit by a train
- The coroner found his death was “entirely preventable if adequate safety measures had been in place”
- Civic adopted the coroner’s recommendations and no longer provides respite care to children under 16
“It’s worse than anything I can imagine … the pain is just underneath the rage and the feeling of injustice,” she said.
“I was meant to be Alex’s carer for the rest of my life … he was a gift to me, and anyone who knew him absolutely adored him.”
Ms Braverman now lives with post-traumatic stress disorder and spends much of her time at her Sydney home, where she’s surrounded by reminders of her son.
Alex’s bedding has not been changed since the day he died. Ms Braverman often sits among his pillows and soft toys to feel close to him.
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