Penn State football player charged after 6-year-old injured by electric scooter on campus

The father of a young boy injured in an electric scooter accident in University Park filed a negligence lawsuit Tuesday against Penn State and the football player who hit him.

Shane Richard, of Union County, said in the lawsuit that his son was seriously injured when he was struck by an e-scooter driven by Penn State freshman football defensive tackle De’Andre Cook on Feb. 18 about 6:10 p.m.

The child was walking in the crosswalk near 223 N. Burrowes Road when he was struck at what the report described as a high rate of speed. Attorney Rich Godshall told the Center Daily Times on Friday that the child was walking with his parents when he was struck.

Cook is listed as 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 282 pounds. The child, who was 6 years old at the time, weighed 55 pounds, the filing said.

He was treated for two pelvic fractures, a broken foot and had four staples in his head, Godshall wrote in the filing. Godshall declined to provide an update on the child’s condition Friday.

Cook pleaded guilty in March to two summary citations; he paid $238 in fines.

Penn State was accused in the lawsuit of violating its policy bans e-scooters on campus by providing them only to student-athletes, something the lawsuit characterized as “particular favoritism.”

A Penn State spokesperson declined comment Friday, citing the university’s policy of generally not speaking publicly about pending litigation.

Electric scooters are considered motor-powered devices, which are prohibited on campus trails and roadways in most circumstances.

“Motor-powered devices that do not meet the requirements of the PA Vehicle Code for use on public highways are not permitted to be used on University property,” Penn State said. official policy reads.

The lawsuit seeks more than $100,000. Cook did not play for the Nittany Lions this season.