Parents of drowned child say Oceans of Fun hires ‘young and inexperienced lifeguards’
Parents of a child who drowned at Kansas City’s Oceans of Fun in July have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the water park and its owners.
The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges the managers knowingly maintained a dangerous environment that ultimately led to the death of 6-year-old Adeline Stewart. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Therron and Debra Stewart of Grandview.
Named as defendants are Oceans of Fun along with parent company Cedar Fair, which operates 11 regional amusement parks and four water parks nationwide.
A spokesman for Oceans of Fun said in an email to The Star that the company does not comment on pending litigation.
On July 5, Adeline was pulled from the waters of the Coconut Cove pool and taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. She died in the hospital days later.
According to the lawsuit, lawyers for the family say Adeline was “undetected” by pool lifeguards for several minutes — even as park-goers made “frantic attempts” to get their attention.
After she was located and removed from the pool, the lawyers allege the lifeguards were not equipped to give her first aid, “resulting in the loss of any chance to save her.”
The lawsuit alleges Oceans of Fun has a track record of hiring young and inexperienced lifeguards and fails to properly train them. It also says managers have a “history of destroying documentation,” including lifeguard skill tests.
Lawyers also allege the pool is unsafe by design. Examples listed in the lawsuit include steep drop offs, underwater depressions and floating obstacles.
In arguing the company has been negligent, the lawyers pointed to two other cases at Oceans of Fun where minors died and a third incident that left a child with a permanent disability. They allege the park employs low-wage workers as owners “put profits over guest safety.”
A jury trial is being sought by the Stewarts.
Following the death of Adeline, changes were made with the aim of improving safety at the water park.
Height requirements were increased for those required to wear life jackets in the pool, and children shorter than 3 ½ feet were required to be accompanied by a supervisor.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 14, 2023 at 10:10 AM.
