A Wirral woman has opened up about the tragic day she accidentally killed her classmate with a javelin.
Lis Cashin was just 13 years old at the time of the incident, which happened in 1983.
She did not name the school, but her LinkedIn page says that she attended Wirral Grammar School for Girls between 1981 and 1988.
Speaking to the Guardian about the experience, Lis said that fateful day shaped most of her life.
She explained that she had been chosen to throw the javelin for her house team and sports day and that it gave her a confidence boost after living with a difficult home situation and being bullied at school.
Lis's classmates Sammy and Sarah had offered to mark the distances but when she was called up to throw, disaster struck.
She said: "I took my run-up, threw the javelin with all my might and watched it fly.
"As it came down, it suddenly veered to the right, straight towards Sammy, who was distracted.
"Everyone could see what was going to happen. They screamed her name.
"In a split second, Sammy looked up and then ducked. I remember thinking: 'Oh thank God, she’s OK.'
"But the javelin hadn’t missed. It had hit Sammy just above her left eye.
"She stumbled forwards before collapsing. There was a lot of blood."
In her account, Lis says that Sammy was rushed to hospital and she was sent home where she asked her mum to take her to the hospital to see her friend.
It was here that a doctor explained to Lis's mum that Sammy had been taken to a neurological hospital.
She died four days later.
Lis didn't go back to school for the rest of the term but did attend the funeral.
She said: "Sammy’s parents never blamed me for her death and were incredibly kind.
"Later, I was interviewed by the police and asked whether Sammy and I had argued that day, but we hadn’t – she was a friend, a really smiley girl who was always joking. I liked her a lot."
Lis described how, when she returned to school in September, a chair was left for her friend, but nobody talked about it.
The verdict of Sammy's inquest was death by misadventure but Lis said that this did not help with her guilt over the incident.
Lis said she then decided to focus on her studies, eventually going on to attend university before taking a job in sales.
While travelling in India, Lis reached a turning point and decided to train as a life coach before learning that she had actually been suffering from PTSD for most of her life.
Lis added: "I have been single for years and never married.
"I was too afraid to have a child because I thought that it would die – that it would be karma for my part in Sammy’s death."
Now, 36 years on from the day of Sammy's death, Lis explained that she is managing to move on and is working on a book about her path to happiness.
She now works as a speaker for TLC Lions, which helps organisations challenge the mental health stigma.
