Doss High School security guard hospitalized for days after end of fight

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A Doss High School security guard was hospitalized for nearly a week after attempting to break up a fight on school grounds last week.

The Doss High School community is now raising money to support the security guard during his recovery.

Those who know Charlie Nichols say he is one of the hardest workers they have ever met and he is always striving to help others.

And while doing just that last week, Nichols was eventually hospitalized.

“He said he passed out and couldn't breathe and thought he was going to die,” said Nichols' friend and former colleague Jill Conover.

For a man who simply wanted to help, this was a shocking situation.

Nichols works as a security guard at Doss High School, where he is one of the rare people who runs into danger.

When he did so on Friday, he seriously injured himself.

“He ran to break up a fight, and as he was pulling the kids apart, he twisted backwards and got crushed into a locker. The combinations that came out of the locker literally broke his ribs and caused a punctured lung,” Conover said.

Conover said Nichols was hospitalized for nearly a week because of his injury and has essentially quit his three jobs supporting his teenage daughter and father.

To help, Conover started a GoFundMe campaign.

“Nobody deserves it more. He's there for everyone every second of the day. He doesn't miss a lot of work,” Conover said. “He might tell you he's tired, but he gets up and does it again and again and again.”

Julie Chancellor, principal of Doss High School, issued a statement regarding Nichols:

“Mr. Nichols has been a beloved member of our Dragon family for many years. Students and staff love him and he always gives 100% to Doss. Our staff wanted to give him a helping hand financially and we look forward to his return to our Doss family.”

Conover said she is glad Nichols is getting his flowers while he can still smell them.

“I'm really, really grateful that these people donated to help because he said it helps him breathe a little bit,” Conover said. “(He) can focus on his recovery because he doesn't have to worry as much about paying every bill, what's coming up and things like that, so that's been an incredible relief for him.”

WAVE News reached out to JCPS about the incident and they said they could not discuss specific situations but that any students involved in fights would be disciplined according to the Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook.

Conover believes more needs to be done and that students should be held accountable.

“We all want there to be real consequences for (these) kids, you know,” Conover explained. “For these kids who keep fighting, a three-day or five-day suspension means nothing.”

In the meantime, Conover says countless students have reached out to Nichols to let him know how much he means to them.

“He got so many texts and emails from former students. Students saying, 'Thank you for what you did for me. You'll never know how much it meant to me,'” Conover said. “You know, kids that he had those one-on-one conversations with.”

Conover says this has left Nichols suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and wondering if he wants to return to school.

She also says that Derby City Pizza has offered to host a fundraiser and raffle for Nichols on October 1st and that they are looking for sponsors and donations for the event.

To find out how you can get involved, contact Derby City Pizza Company PRP.

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