Washington Town Settles for $15M in Wrongful Death Case

Washington Town Settles for $15M in Wrongful Death Case

Introduction

A town in Washington state has agreed to pay $15 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of a teenage boy who drowned during a town summer camp outing.

The incident occurred on July 15, 2022, at Florence Lake on Anderson Island, located southwest of Seattle, according to Pierce County Court records.

The 13-year-old boy had been left at the lake along with other teenagers by a camp employee who went to pick up another group of children and a co-worker from a nearby ferry station, court documents reveal.

The teenager who had never swum in open water before and was not provided with a life jacket, was underwater for about six minutes before bystanders noticed and rescued him. Despite CPR efforts, he was flown to a hospital where he died the same day.

One of the men walking on the beach at the time swam out, spotted DJ about 10 feet under the water, and pulled him to the surface. The boy’s parents subsequently sued the town of Steilacoom for negligence.

The town's administrator and attorney declined to comment on the settlement, citing ongoing litigation as final dismissal paperwork had not yet been filed.

In January, the town sought to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the parents had signed a waiver accepting risks, including injury or death, from participating in activities near water.

However, the family’s attorneys contended that the "generic release" form did not specify any risks related to open water activities. Additionally, they argued that camp employees violated the town's policy, which mandated that campers be supervised at all times during program hours.

The boy's parents plan to use the settlement money to establish a nonprofit organization focused on promoting aquatic safety at summer camps and to create scholarships in their son's name.