The Haggard Law Firm’s Michael Haggard and Adam Finkel, along with co-counsel Julie Hager, have obtained a nearly $12 Million settlement in a drowning case involving a child who made his way through a broken pool gate and into a community pool.
During the morning of August 24, 2019, Mohamed Salim, a resident of the Arbor Keys Condominiums in Tamarac, Florida, dropped off his minivan with a neighbor, so that it could be washed. Later that afternoon, Mohammed, along with his four and six-year-old sons, walked across the parking lot to check on the status of the van. As the van was not ready, Mohamed sent his sons to the nearby playground, while he waited for his van to be finished. At least 13 minutes later, Mohamed heard screams, as it had turned out that his boys left the playground and made entered the community pool. They did this without Mohamed’s knowledge, and while he was monitoring his van.
The Haggard Law Firm’s Adam Finkel and Michael Haggard have reached a confidential settlement for $4.5 Million in a pool drowning case. The victim, a young woman, entered a commercial pool of an Apartment Complex and drowned while swimming from the shallow end of the pool to the deep end. The plaintiff’s allegations consisted of code violations regarding the safety line, depth markers, slope of the bottom of the pool, and absence of certain lifesaving equipment. Jane Doe’s wrongful death claim settled for $4.5 million with the owner of the pool.
Trial lawyer Adam FinkelManaging Partner Michael Haggard
The Haggard Law Firm has developed a national and international niche representing people injured or killed as a result of dangerous swimming pool drains and negligent supervision and maintenance of pool safety barriers. Law firms from around the country connect with our experienced litigators at The Haggard Law Firm when looking to refer the most difficult drowning and non-fatal drowning cases.
Representing victims of drowning accidents in pools and in swim parks is a significant concern across the country. Successful outcomes for the families we represent can go a long way toward protecting children and families in the future, both in the United States and abroad.
$1 Million Settlement in Case Involving Grandfather Who Drowned During Grandson’s Birthday party
Ocala, Fla – BG Ocala Ranch has agreed to pay $1 Million to the family of an Ocala man who drowned during his 5-year-old grandson’s birthday party.
The family of the 66-year-old victim says the death of their family patriarch was entirely preventable. Children were terrified as adult partygoers performed CPR to the grandfather after he was found floating in the luxury event space home’s resort-style pool.
An investigation conducted by the family’s legal team revealed that the BG Ocala Ranch never should have been offering to customers the property as an event space. The Haggard Law Firm’s Jason Brenner and attorney L. Edward McClellan of McClellan & Batsel, discovered:
the property was an unlicensed commercial operation conducting business on residential property. That including soliciting rentals for use of its water park
the two “lifeguards” the part organizer, the victim’s daughter, paid BG Ranch for were not lifeguards, they were the husband and daughter of the property’s representatives
the pool known as the “water park” was not up to code with problems that included no signage for diving, depth, safety makers, or ladders as required by Florida law. The pool’s water clarity was poor and should not have been open for use by anyone.
Haggard Law Firm trial lawyer Jason Brenner
Brenner says “the family hopes the settlement will result in businesses who operate public swimming pools to verify they are in compliance with all applicable building and safety codes. They also hope it stands as a warning to the public to make sure a swimming area has all safety measures in place before using it. The family doesn’t want another family to have to endure the lifelong loss they will suffer.”
For decades, The Haggard Law Firm has been fighting for justice on behalf of families who have lost a loved one to a drowning and victims of near drownings. Haggard Law has successfully advocated for improvements to standard pool equipment. Click to learn more
A duck boat with 31 people on board capsized and sank to the bottom of Table Rock Lake in Missouri during a severe thunderstorm on Thursday, resulting in one of the deadliest boat accidents in American history. There were official weather warnings before the operators of this boat took it onto the lake with the lives they were responsible for. The Associated Press reports that “a private inspector said ….that he warned the company operating duck boats…about design flaws putting the watercraft at greater risk of sinking, less than a year before the accident.”
Tia Coleman lost 10 of her loved ones in that tragedy, including three children, her husband and five other members of her family.
Michael Haggard, the Managing Partner of the Haggard Law Firm says his law firm prays for the families that have suffered so much from the tragedy.
He added, “It is unfathomable that a maritime commercial operator can claim that severe thunderstorms, extremely high winds, and unsafe water conditions can come out of nowhere. With today’s GPS and Radar technology, this is simply not the case. This vessel should have never been allowed to go on this trip.” The Duck Boat operators, like any business owners, are responosible for the safety of their customers/guests. The Haggard Law FIrm has an extensive history of successfully litigating cases where business owners do not take every needed step to keep customer safe as well as maritime and drowning cases.
“This is was an absolutely preventable tragedy that one can only hope changes the standards, oversite and design of this or any other type of similar vessel.
to read full article from Associated Press, click here
