Grade 7 Richmond student left partly blind by science experiment gone wrong

The family of an elementary school student who lost part of her eyesight after a large water bottle pumped with high-pressure air hit her in the face during a science project is suing her teacher and the Richmond school board.

Katie Mui, who is now 13, is seeking unspecified damages, including for care and services from her family and lost future income, for the injuries she suffered in the accident on Nov. 8, 2022, on the school grounds of Jessie Wowk elementary in Richmond.

The students pressurized a two-litre water bottle using a bicycle pump “such that it would become a rocket propelled object and fire up to 50 feet in the air at high speed,” according to a notice of civil claim filed by her father, Kei Shun (Keson) Mui, in B.C. Supreme Court.

“The plaintiff was holding a two-litre bottle of water when it accidentally launched directly into her face,” it said.

Katie, then 12 and in Grade 7, suffered “retinal detachment of the left eye” and “partial blindness,” as well as pain and discomfort and psychological harm, according to the writ.