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This past November, the insurance company for the city of Temple Terrace, Florida (a suburb of Tampa), settled a lawsuit stemming from the September 2012 drowning of a 15-year-old mildly autistic boy. The boy, a student at Pepin Academy, drowned in the city’ public swimming pool during a night-time back-to-school party. According to a story in the Tampa Bay Times, the city’s insurance company paid $450,000 to settle the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the boy’s father. Pepin Academy, a charter school for children with learning disabilities, was also named in the lawsuit and paid $425,000.

Security camera footage showed the boy, who could not swim, going down the slide in the pool’s deep end, struggling to stay afloat, and then sinking. He apparently lay on the bottom of the pool for about five minutes before another child finally noticed him. He spent four days on life support at the hospital before passing away. The lawsuit charged that the lifeguards were not attentive, the pool’s water was cloudy, there was poor lighting, and the pool was not suited for swimming at night. The suit also charged Pepin Academy with negligence, stating that the school staff knew the boy could not swim and had assured the father that his son would be properly supervised.

Accident and Lawsuit May Produce Changes

The Temple Terrace city manager blamed the accident on, among other things, the city’s failure to accurately count the number of children in the pool. He said that the Family Recreation Center, where the city pool is located, would try to do a better job of counting the number of kids using the pool during events, and would bring in extra lifeguards when necessary. The city manager stressed public officials’ commitment to ensuring that a similar accident never happens again at the city pool. If no other good comes out of this accident, hopefully the lawsuit and settlement will help save future lives so that fewer parents have to go through what this boy’s father experienced.

Drowning Is a Common Cause of Death among Young Children

Drowning is the second leading cause of death among young children, with thousands of more kids suffering brain damage, spinal cord problems, paralysis, or other serious injuries due to accidents in swimming pools. These deaths and injuries are often preventable if not for inadequate supervision, negligent lifeguarding, defective pool gates and fences, defective pumps, and defective pool drains. Oftentimes, the only recourse for a family whose child has been injured or killed in a swimming pool is to bring a wrongful death or negligence lawsuit against those responsible. A parent in this situation should seek quality legal representation and proceed prudently.

What to Do if Your Child Dies in a Drowning Accident

If your child has died in a drowning accident, or has otherwise been injured in a swimming pool, you should contact a personal injury attorney immediately. An attorney can review the facts of your case and determine whether you have a viable claim. If so, they can help you seek the compensation you deserve.

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