The mother of a 14-year-old teenage girl who drowned at Hillsboro’s Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center has sued the city, the Hillsboro School District and pool equipment businesses for $70 million.
As per the court documents, the girl was a member of the Liberty High School swim team and an apprentice at Oregon Episcopal School. On November 20, 2019, she was found dead under a pool cover after a team practice session.
The lawsuit alleges that the coaches instructed the swimmers to cover the pool with heavy covers, which would create suction after being rolled out on the water. Some of the swimmers noticed that the deceased girl was missing during the process of covering the pool.
The girl's mother was waiting in the parking area for her daughter, but she noticed that all the team members exited the facility without her daughter. The mother instantly went inside the center to search for the girl when she found her daughter's unresponsive body inside the pool under the covers.
The lawsuit even alleges Universal Filtration Inc., manufacturer of ThermGard pool covers for the poor design of the product which resulted in the girl's death. Pool and Spa House, a seller of the covers is also included as the defendant in the lawsuit.
