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Father prevails in appeal against Global Travel Marketing for death of his son while on safari in Africia - Decision is a win for children's rights

Eleven-year-old Garrit Shea was on a Global Travel Marketing d/b/a The Africa Adventure Company's safari with his mother. Before the trip his mother signed a contract releasing Africa Adventure from liability. Young Garrit was killed on the safari. Asleep in a tent in Botswana, he was dragged by hyenas and decapitated.

Africa Adventure never warned Garrit or his mother of the dangers of a child sleeping alone in a tent within a campsite; that there had been an increase in aggressive behavior by animals near the camp site due to recent flooding; the safari operator failed to hire, retain, supervise and train its employees and agents who conducted the trip; failed to set up the tents in a safe and animal resistant manner (no animal resistant devices were utilized such as fences or barriers, and they permitted Garrit an 11 year old boy, to sleep in a tent by himself on the outer perimeter of the camp.

Today, in the District Court of Appeal of the State of Florida Fourth District, it was determined that parents can't waiver a child's basic rights. The Court stated we cannot accept the notion that parents may, carte blanche, waive the litigation rights of their children in the absence of circumstances supported by public policy. Thus reversing an arbitration order clearing the way for the estate of the deceased minor child, Garrit Shea and his surviving father, Mark Shea now divorced from Molly Bruce Jacobs to further proceed with the case in trial court.

This is a great day for children. We stood by the fact that a child's rights can't simply be signed away by a parent. This very young boy was viciously killed on what was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. For a simple waiver to take away all rights is unjust. We are confident that at trial a jury will see that no matter what a person's age or maturity, their rights should be protected and enforced. This case will now proceed to trial