Sword Duel in New Mexico Classroom Left Girl, 16, with Severed Nerves and PTSD, Lawsuit Alleges

A lawsuit filed by the injured student's parents claims that their daughter has permanent injuries from the incident

A New Mexico family is suing Albuquerque Public Schools after their daughter was allegedly injured in a sword fight at school.

Arnold and Judy Gachupin filed a lawsuit against Albuquerque Public Schools, as well as teacher  Loviatta Mitchell and Manuel Alzaga, the vice principal of Volcano Vista High School, last week, PEOPLE has confirmed.

According to NBC News and the Albuquerque Journal, the parents allege that their daughter was seriously injured after Mitchell brought swords into a classroom and had students fight each other with them in May 2022.

Per the outlets, the complaint claims during the teenage girl’s turn fighting another student with the swords, she suffered a “large and deep laceration across her right hand and wrist.” Now, almost two years later, her nerves and tendons “remain damaged,” the document continued.

“Her wrist and hand are permanently injured,” the family’s attorney, Jessica Hernandez, said in the complaint, per NBC News. “Those injuries cause her ongoing daily pain, as well as cause her to be unable to perform many basic daily tasks."

According to Albuquerque Journal, the complaint alleges that after the incident, Mitchell screamed “I’m in trouble!” and had the students delete any videos they’d taken of the incident.

Only after the girl began to feel “nauseous and weak from blood loss” did another student alert the school’s administration, and 911 was called, the outlet reported. The complaint claims this was roughly 30 minutes after she had been injured.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

The student — who was 16 at the time and is now 17 — has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and her wrist and hand are permanently damaged, per the outlet. The family’s attorney said in the complaint that the injury has changed her client's “entire life” and has been “discouraging” and “depressing.”

Per NBC News, the complaint also claims that a Volcano Vista High School report allegedly written by Alzaga described the incident as “a lesson on metal and melding” that led one student to “accidentally cut” the 16-year-old. Alzaga allegedly checked the box “No” when asked if the incident violated school rules.

PEOPLE has reached out to Albuquerque Public Schools for comment.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.