‘Mother to blame for toddler’s death at zoo’

The mother of a 2-year-old boy fatally mauled in a wild African dogs exhibit is to blame for her son’s death and shouldn’t be allowed to sue, a zoo has claimed in court.

The claim filed this week by the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas comes in response to a wrongful-death lawsuit brought by the parents of Maddox Derkosh, who died on Nov 4 after falling over a four-foot-tall railing into the exhibit when his mother lifted him up to get a better look.

“The injuries and damages sustained by Maddox Derkosh, including Maddox Derkosh’s death, were caused solely by the carelessness, negligence, and/or recklessness of Elizabeth Derkosh,” the zoo’s attorney wrote.