Bloomington - The parents of a Purdue University freshman who was fatally shocked by an electrical transformer in a dormitory utility room have hired an Indianapolis personal-injury law firm to represent them.
Dale Steffey and Dawn Adams, the parents of Wade Steffey, said in a news release that they have retained the services of Montross, Miller, Muller, Mendelson and Kennedy in anticipation of taking legal action in connection with the death of their son.
The Bloomington couple said they were taking the action "upon taking time to reflect, and with the advice of family members and friends." The funeral for their son was held Monday.
Wade Steffey, 19, died early on the morning of Jan. 13, and his body found on March 19. Officials said he was fatally shocked when he entered a Purdue dormitory through an unlocked exterior door of the utility room containing high-voltage electrical equipment.
Mike Miller, one of the partners in the law firm, said Wednesday it was too early to discuss whether the family will pursue legal action.
"We're going to carefully review all the facts of the loss of this very fine young man," Miller said.
Purdue officials have said the utility room had been searched, but not thoroughly. They have not been able to explain why the exterior door to the room was unlocked. The lock from the door has been sent to an outside group to see whether it had been tampered with or was faulty.
Purdue officials said last week they were starting an investigation into why the equipment-room door was unlocked. They also initiated steps to put warning signs on outside doors to rooms with high-voltage equipment.
Shoe found
Meanwhile, Purdue spokeswoman Jeanne Norberg said Tuesday that a custodian found one of Steffey's shoes outside the utility room on Jan. 23, 10 days after the student had disappeared. Students, staff, local residents and law enforcement officials conducted several extensive searches of the campus and nearby areas.
However, authorities did not immediately link the plaid-lined slipper to the student. She said police didn't have a full description of the shoes Steffey had been wearing.
"Obviously, it's something that we wish - in hindsight - had made us look more closely," Norberg said.
The shoe was covered in leaves and debris and looked as if it had been outdoors more than 10 days, she said.
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