Last Father’s Day saw the near drowning of a 4-year-old girl who was later pronounced dead while receiving treatment in a hospital. The girl had accompanied her parents to a private club in Downers Grove where the incident occurred. Anna Trent of Downers Grove has now filed a suit in DuPage County court against the club for the wrongful death of their daughter.
A closer scrutiny of this case reveals imminent negligence on the side of the club. Evidence points that before Anna was found floating in the deeper area of the pool, her parents had left her playing in the shallow part in the presence of lifeguards. This clearly reveals that the lifeguards did not monitor the swimming properly, which from a broader perspective indicates a lack of proper training.
Even after the drowning victim was recovered from the swimming pool, the lifeguards could not perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the child’s aunt and father had to do it in a bid to save their girl’s life.
The club also lacked proper resuscitation equipment at the pool, which might have contributed to her death. Anna’s demise comes at a time when the drowning death toll for younger children is on the rise.
Based on federal government statistics, submersion injuries remain the second-leading cause of unintentional deaths among children between the age of 1 to 14 years. Further evidence reveals that children between the age of 1 to 4 years are at the greatest risk of accidental drowning and injury-related deaths. For every four children who are rushed to the hospital for drowning-related emergencies, another one child dies from the submersion injuries.
Although the case against the club is still hanging in the balance and we cannot predict what the final ruling will be, there are several things we can dissect from this case. To begin with,swimming pool deaths and injuries are subject to both federal and county laws. If everything goes well, the suing party, Ann’s parents, may be entitled to the following types of damages:
- Loss of enjoyment of life,
- Loss of love and companionship,
- Mental anguish,
- Medical expenses encountered while Ann was hospitalized, and
- Pain and suffering.
Everything will depend on how well the family’s attorney proves the negligence case against the Downers Grove club.
