Scout's Death on Hike in Heat Triggers Lawsuit

Jan. 17, 2011— -- The parents of a Boy Scout who died last year during a 20-mile hike in extreme heat are suing the organization whose famed motto, "Be Prepared," sets a standard they believe the hike's leaders failed to meet.

Michael Sclawy-Adelman was 17 and close to reaching scouting's highest rank -- Eagle -- when he collapsed and died during the hike in the Florida Everglades in May 2009.

"They're supposed to be trained to recognize signs and symptoms," Michael's mother, Judith Sclawy-Adelman, said.

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Scouts put in -- collectively -- millions of hours in the wilderness every year without serious incident and the movement has earned the respect of generations of former scouts, including more than one U.S. president and nearly every man who ever walked on the moon.

Still, the lawsuit argues, despite its well-known emphasis on safety, the Boy Scouts of America has failed to live up to its own standards.

But his death is at the heart of this challenge to the organization's reputation. And the scenario of his final hours, which are spelled out in the lawsuit and in police reports filed by agencies that responded to his scoutmaster's distress call, make for painful reading.

Michael was one of three scouts who set out with two leaders at 9 a.m. on a planned 20-mile day hike, despite temperatures predicted to be above 90. By 1 p.m., the boys had reached the 15-mile mark and were showing signs of fatigue.

"Mike began to seem dizzy, we had him sit down to rest and drink water," Crompton later wrote in a police report. "After about 20 minutes, Mike got worse. He seemed to be choking. I turned him on his side, he vomited. I cleared his mouth. He stopped breathing."

Crompton called 9-1-1.He had been performing CPR on Michael for 45 minutes by the time the rescue helicopter reached them. Michael was airlifted out but he was soon pronounced dead.

The lawsuit, which also names the scout leaders and the local church in South Florida that sponsors the troop, claims the Boy Scouts violated one of their own key virtues: trustworthiness.

"It just boiled down to us trusting in the Boy Scouts," said Michael's father, Howard Adelman.

"Not to press on regardless for another five miles if you're showing signs of heat and disorientation," his mother later added.

Crompton declined a request to speak with ABC News.