Four years ago, Corey Hausman died after falling from his skateboard on a steep path at the University of Colorado. A freshman, he had graduated from Staples High School just 3 months earlier.
His parents and 2 older siblings mourned the loss of the bright, energetic runner and skier.
Then — determined to make something good out of the tragedy — they went to work.
They formed College911. The non-profit helps prepare college students for medical emergencies, while improving campus safety.
Corey’s mother Nanette spearheaded an effort in the Connecticut General Assembly to make universities safer, by ensuring that serious incidents are included in their safety reports.
Corey Hausman and his mother Nanette.
Now the initative has gone national.
Connecticut Representatives Jim Himes and Joe Courtney introduced House Bill 8406 this year. The “COREY Safety Act of 2022” would require colleges nationwide to report campus accidents that result in the serious injury or death of students.
They include “transportation incidents (on foot, bikes, scooters, skateboards, longboards or cars), ground level and high height slips and falls, alcohol or drug overdoses and choking or drowning,” ABC News says.
The bill’s name is an acronym for the College Operational Reporting of Emergencies Involving Teens and Young Adults. Of course, it’s also an homage to Corey Hausman.
Last week, it was referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
The Hausmans say that CU knew the area where Corey was skateboarding was unsafe. In addition, he was taken to a community care center after his accident — but died 7 hours later. A transfer to a Level 1 trauma facility was not considered.
Nanette Hausman says that right now, colleges are required to report only crimes and fires. However, accidents are the leading cause of college deaths.
(Click here for a full story from ABC News. Click here for more information on the bill. Click here for the College9111.net Medical Emergency Checklists for parents and college students. Hat tip: Jeff Mitchell)
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Corey Hausman (center) with his brothers Lucas (left) and Casey.
Thank you for all of this important info and gratitude to Corey’s family for using their unimaginable heartache into something that will help others
College911’s emergency medical checklist linked in the blog is a must-check for families sending their graduates off to college. I would have never thought of getting a medical POA for my kids without Nanette’s insights. It would be great if secondary schools shared this info with families before graduation. I hope folks share her astute recommendations far and wide. And, to put some wind in the bill’s sails, we could ask Senator Murphy to co-sponsor the bill in the Senate, especially because he is on the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee
This is important and sensible legislation. Hope it sails through committee and congress approves it promptly. So very sad that it has to come from such a tragedy but there will surely be many that benefit from the COREY Safety Act and his legacy will live on in the future.