A Nevada mother has filed a federal lawsuit against a Las Vegas-area school district after her eight-year-old son died following a choking incident that allegedly went unrecognized by a school employee.

Cruzito Ruiz, a third-grade student at Bass Elementary School in Clark County, collapsed at school on February 25, 2025, after choking on a piece of pineapple during lunch, according to the complaint filed March 3 by his mother, Amanda Corbala.

The lawsuit alleges that Cruzito began choking in the school cafeteria around 11:20 a.m. and showed clear signs that he was struggling to breathe while attempting to get help.

But instead of receiving immediate assistance, the complaint claims a school employee directed the child to go to the boys’ bathroom.

The staff member allegedly did not check Cruzito’s airway, call the school nurse, or alert emergency services — actions the lawsuit argues should have occurred immediately.

According to the filing, the employee was required to have CPR and AED training.

Security camera images described in the complaint show Cruzito visibly in distress before the collapse.

The footage reportedly shows the boy attempting to slap his own back in an effort to dislodge the food from his throat.

At one point, Cruzito reportedly approached a friend for help and later walked up to a school employee while making gestures toward his mouth — a common signal that someone is choking.

“While consciously choking, Cruzito stood up and approached a school official… signaling for help with his hands to his mouth and displaying obvious signs of physical distress,” the complaint states.

According to the lawsuit, it was actually another student who alerted the employee that Cruzito was feeling sick.

The employee allegedly told Cruzito to go to the boys’ restroom.

Several minutes later, other students discovered him lying unconscious on the bathroom floor.

By the time staff members were alerted to the situation, the lawsuit says the child had already collapsed and turned blue.

Emergency responders were eventually called to the scene.

First responders reportedly performed a finger sweep and removed what the complaint describes as “a large piece of pineapple” from the child’s airway.

Cruzito was transported to a hospital, but doctors determined he had suffered an anoxic brain injury — a type of severe brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen.

The oxygen deprivation occurred after the choking episode triggered cardiac arrest, according to the lawsuit.

Cruzito never regained consciousness.

He died on March 2, several days after the incident.

The lawsuit argues that directing the child away from the cafeteria removed him from adult supervision and delayed life-saving assistance.

Attorneys for the family say the boy was alone during the critical moments of the emergency when immediate help could have made a difference.

The complaint also alleges Cruzito experienced intense suffering during the choking episode.

He endured “extreme conscious pain, terror, and air hunger” for approximately five minutes while alone in the restroom, the lawsuit claims.

His mother is now seeking damages for alleged civil rights violations as well as the loss of companionship and society following the death of her son. The lawsuit does not specify a dollar amount.

In the complaint, attorneys say the tragedy was preventable.

“Amanda has been devastated by the premature, unnecessary, and unnatural loss of her beloved son,” the filing states.

The Clark County School District declined to comment on the allegations.