Couple sues Knoebels after drowning death of their son

I was reading about this on the Knoebels Connoisseur Facebook page. From what I can tell is the parents weren't supervising their 8 year old, and blame it on the park.

When we visit in the Summer the pool can get pretty crowded. I wouldn't leave my daughter unsupervised and hold the park accountable if something happened to her. Isn't that how other people are?

Wealth by lawsuit, it's the new American dream.

Yeah, I'm sure it was totally worth losing their child over.

The few times I have walked by the pool while it is in operation, it has been packed. I'd imagine it is difficult to keep track of that many people as a lifeguard.

I am not quite sure I understand the "failed to assist in resuscitation properly" thing. Knoebels may not have had an AED, it may have been too far away to retrieve in time, or they may have felt they could not use it on the boy since he was soaking wet (yes, you dry the person off in the area of where the defibrilllator goes, but I could swear I remember something in CPR class that in cases of death in water, you have to get them completely dry. I could be wrong). None of these things is against the law. In fact, technically, PA law states you do not have to perform CPR on a person if you choose not to do so. However, if you begin CPR, you must continue it until medical professionals arrive to take over.

None of this brings back their son or makes it any better (makes it worse in some ways actually). They're looking for someone to blame, and I get that. If they WEREN'T watching their son, their personal guilt must be eating them up, and who wants to admit they possibly played a part in their child's death? The lawsuit probably won't help them get peace, but I hope something does. No one should have to bury their baby. I'd imagine that the Knoebels family is almost just as devastated by this as well. Just sad all around.

I do wonder how often these lawsuits are filed when a lawyer convinces parents that they simply can not be to blame for their child's death...? Seems like an easy sell to grieving parents that would obviously be having a hard time accepting that their child is gone, and that they really are at least partially responsible. Am I overthinking it?

On the other hand, from a policy perspective, laws change and companies change their behavior in response to these kinds of lawsuits. Can't help but thinking about the lifeguards at water parks, how some places have stands with umbrellas, others have lifeguards walking between stations and keeping an eye on guests...there are no absolutely infallible systems for keeping everyone safe, there are simply "best practices" that evolve over time - often in response to incidents, often tragic ones.