Blog Post

Family Files Lawsuit Against Pool Company


January 30, 2008
Topic: Swimming Pool Accidents

The only flaw you could find in Brian and Karen Cohn's lawsuit, filed against Shoreline Pools, is the paltry amount - $15,000. The family's tragedy, which occurred on July 26th last year, calls for a greater amount to be claimed in compensation.

First, a flashback of events. On this fateful day, the Cohn's 6-year-old son, Zachary, was swimming in the family pool, when his arm got stuck in an intake valve at the deep end of the pool. His father, who noticed his son struggling to pry his hand loose, jumped right in to save him. Brian struggled valiantly to pull Zachary's hand, but the powerful suction of the valve proved too much to overcome. Karen raced back into the house, turned off the house's power supply, which managed to shut down the power and only then could Zachary's hand be freed. But by then, it was too late. His father performed CPR, but Zachary was dead at age 6.

Through their grief, the Cohns have found a way to shed more light on the negligent safety standards adopted by the pool company, which is one of the defendants in the lawsuit. The Cohns insist that the company has a history of violating building codes. The other defendant is the town of Greenwich, which, the couple alleges, failed to conduct a proper inspection before issuing the permit. The Cohn's pool, they claim, had a total of seven serious code violations. One of them, it is now obvious, had a role to play in the child's death.

To lose a child is hard enough by itself, but to lose one to the sheer negligence or incompetence by another is almost too much to bear. According to USA Today, The Cohns say they aren't interested in the monetary compensation, which explains the $15,000 amount. To honor the memory of their son, they want to focus attention on swimming pool safety, and bring about changes in safety laws.

As their statement says, "We hope that ... other families will be spared the horrible tragedy we have suffered. "

If you have a loved-one who was killed in a swimming pool accident, contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.