Family Sues Florida Gulf Coast University Over Lack of Signage by Dangerous Lake

A Florida family has filed a personal injury wrongful death lawsuit against Florida Gulf Coast University after their two daughters drowned in a man-made lake. Lake Como is an artificial lake located at Florida Gulf Coast University. The area has the amenities of a beach but lacks warning signs concerning its depth.

In July 2022, a 12-year-old girl and her 7-year-old sister drowned in the lake. Their family is now suing Florida Gulf Coast University over the lack of signage concerning its dangerous depth. According to those who frequent the lake, it only sometimes has lifeguards on duty to protect swimmers from potential dangers.

The family is alleging that the owners of the lake are negligent for failing to place warning signs to alert swimmers concerning the dangerous depths. They are seeking an undisclosed amount of money based on allegations of wrongful death.

Premises liability, swimming pools, and recreational swimming areas

Those who operate swimming pools, recreational lakes, or other areas for swimmers have a duty of care to ensure the safety of those swimmers. Premises owners are liable when they subject the public to dangerous conditions. In the case mentioned above, at least three swimmers have died in that lake just recently.

Premises liability lawsuits are filed under a theory of negligence. When a premises owner operates a space that is accessible to the public, they are responsible for ensuring the public’s safety. For those operating swimming pools and recreational swimming areas, this means ensuring that there are lifeguards on duty and adequate signage to alert the public that there is a potential danger.

In this case, the defendants are alleged to have not placed signage that would have potentially prevented the two deaths they are being sued for. This signage would be expected of a publicly-owned beach. In this case, the lake owners are being accused of failing to warn the public about the dangers associated with the lake. Since there have been a significant number of deaths, it stands to reason that the lake owners could (at the very least) place signage warning the public that the depths of the lake are potentially dangerous.

The family has filed two wrongful death lawsuits against the owners of the lake alleging that the lake owner’s negligence directly led to the deaths of their daughters. They want to force the lake owners to place signage to alert the public to the danger. As of yet, no signage has been placed by the lake to alert the public that it is very deep. These wrongful death lawsuits could potentially force the defendant’s hand and ensure that the public is adequately warned concerning the danger posed by the lake.

Talk to a Tampa, FL Drowning Accident Attorney Today 

When a drowning death occurs, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the owner or operator of the property where the drowning occurred. To do so, you must be able to establish negligence. Call the Tampa personal injury lawyers at Florin Gray today for a free case evaluation. We can help you determine whether or not you have an actionable suit against a property owner.

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