Family Sues After Boy Dies At Crew Practice

A grieving family has sued a rowing club after their 12-year-old son was killed during an organized practice. According to the lawsuit, the rowers were out on the water when a lightning storm rolled, causing the boat to capsize.

The boy was out on the water for the first time when this occurred. He died at the hospital three days later on his 12th birthday. Now, his family is looking for answers. They believe that the rowing club is responsible for his death, did not take enough caution when dealing with a novice rower, and failed to properly supervise the child. A second boy also drowned according to the complaint.

Who is responsible? 

In this case, the hammer will fall on the rowing club that did not provide lifejackets to children on a boat. Had they, the children would still be alive. Instead, they are dead. It’s a simple case. The rowing company could reasonably foresee that a novice rower wouldn’t be able to handle a capsized boat. So, on what basis the company will defend this lawsuit is unclear. But they should be extremely terrified to take any argument they can muster in front of a jury. This is their fault.

But it gets worse. Not only did the rowing club fail to facilitate the novice rowers with life jackets, they also had a broken defibrillator on hand when they needed it. So, even if the decision to take the boys out on the water that day was not negligent (it was) it would still be negligent to not provide the boys with the necessary life-saving equipment.

Rowing standards 

Like most sports, rowing is regulated by a national body that provides minimum guidelines for affiliated clubs. In this case, they did not meet those guidelines and because of that failure, two families are grieving the loss of their children. Both families will be entitled to recover compensation from the rowing club. In this case, the failure to provide recommended supervision and safety gear to rowers is both negligent and a violation of national policy.

Criminal charges? 

It would not be the first time that individuals tasked with the care of children were charged with negligent homicide or manslaughter for grossly negligent conduct that resulted in their death. If two children died at daycare, there would almost certainly be a criminal investigation into the matter. In this case, it’s possible the child could have been saved had the defibrillator worked. It’s likely the child would not need to have been saved if he was wearing a life jacket. Finally, the decision to take the boys out on the water in a storm ended tragically wrong.

Talk to a Port St. Lucie Personal Injury Lawyer Today 

Has your child been injured at an organized recreational event? If so, call the Port St. Lucie personal injury attorneys at Eighmie Law Firm and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

wesh.com/article/wrongful-death-lawsuit-orlando-boy-dies-rowing/42707985