Cheryl Angelo is suing USA Triathlon in her husband’s drowning death. Richard Angelo, 53, died last summer while taking part in the event in Vermont. Now, Cheryl is seeking $1 million from the organizers of the event.
According to her wrongful death complaint, Richard went into medical distress while swimming at the event, which took place in Lake Champlain in Vermont on August 18, 2012. He was taken to the hospital after rescue crews discovered him in the water. An autopsy report states that the 53-year-old drowned.
Now, Cheryl is contending that USA Triathlon was negligent in how it ran the athletic event, did not properly supervise the swim, and lacked sufficient lifeguards, trained staff or adequate lifesaving equipment. She says that her husband was seen going off course during the event and while rescue personnel tried to redirect him, that was all they did.
Cheryl claims that initial attempts to rescue Richard were not successful and by the time he was given CPR, he had already been underwater for at least seven minutes. Her lawsuit points to unsafe conditions on the day of the race, including a “blinding sun” and waves that were “high.”
Cheryl believes that if proper rescue procedures had existed, her husband would still be alive today. She wants damages not just for wrongful death but also for pain and suffering, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and punitive damages.
If you or someone you love was injured at an event that was run by another party and you believe that the injury or death could have been prevented if only the proper safety emergency and prevention measures had been in place, you may have grounds for a Boston personal injury lawsuit against the event owner, manager, or facilitator. You also could have a case for a Massachusetts premises liability complaint against the owner of the property where the accident happened.
Swimming Accidents
Unfortunately, swimming accidents claim lives every year and it is the responsibility of those in charge of a pool, hot tub, or another body of water where there are swimmers to make sure that safety procedures are in place so that drowning and near drownings don’t happen. Failure to do so could be be reason for a Boston drowning accident case.
Beverly widow sues USA Triathlon for wrongful death, Wicked Local, July 31, 2013
Unintentional Drowning: Get the Facts, CDC
More Blog Posts:
Toddler’s Near Drowning Incident Serves as a Stark Reminder for Parents to Keep Kids Safe around Pools this Summer, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, June 19, 2013
CPSC Says Majority of Child Drownings Happen in Backyard Pools, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, May 29, 2013
GranuFlo Dialysis Treatment Lawsuits Filed Over Cardiac Deaths, Massachusetts Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, July 23, 2013