A 14-year-old girl is missing a week of school at Omaha North High School in Nebraska after suffering from a concussion during a student fight last week.
Lizthy Lopez was hit and punched several times at school when a fight between several boys took place during school hours on Feb. 9.
Video of the fight, caught on students' cellphones, show dozens of students around the group of students fighting. Lopez is shown holding onto a male classmate, trying to escape, as several boys pushed and hit her.
"I blacked out. Sort of. I thought like what am I supposed to do? Fight back? I don't know. All I thought about was, Liz get out of there," said Lopez.
Lopez said she has several bruises on her upper body, including her arms, head, and chest. She says her doctor told her she suffered a concussion and is dealing with frequent headaches as a result of her injuries.
Lopez and her 16-year-old cousin Nellis Abrego, who was also shown in the video say the tension between the boys started on Thursday when a boy allegedly touched Lopez's other cousin inappropriately in class. They added the fight between two groups broke out in the hallway on Friday morning and was eventually stopped by a school police officer. The Omaha Police Department was also called on scene.
Keni Abrego, Lopez's mom said she didn't realize the severity of the fight until she saw the videos circulating social media. Abrego said she spoke to school officials on Wednesday to address the physical damages her daughter suffered from at school and was told her daughter's safety was a priority.
In a statement, Omaha Public Schools said, "We are aware of the incident. School administration continues to work with the families of the students who were involved in the incident and the appropriate disciplinary action is being taken. We are also cooperating with the Omaha Police Department in their investigation of the incident. Due to student privacy laws, we cannot share additional details."
Abrego said four of the boys who hit her daughter were expelled and ticketed for assault on school property. Several other boys were suspended for fighting.
Abrego also plans to press assault charges against the four boys.
"The fighting isn't worth it. It's just not. People are just going to get in trouble," said Lopez. "I do know that any boy or man hitting any woman is not okay. And I still can't believe they hit me because I'm a girl and I knew a lot of those guys."
Lopez and her cousin said they're scared of other female students from the school fighting them as a result of several boys' expulsions.
Abrego said she plans to keep Lopez at the school for the remainder of the school year but will transfer her daughter schools in the fall.
