Blog Post

Swimming Pool Accident Death Leads to Insurance Bill


June 12, 2008
Topic: Swimming Pool Accidents

Eleven months after the drowning of their son, the parents of Ethan Cory have seen the moment they have waited for since the day he drowned in a swimming pool accident at a water park in Joplin, Missouri.

Ethan's Law requires the owner of a for-profit privately owned swimming pool or facility to maintain liability insurance of a minimum of $1 million in case of a death or injury in its pool. Further, for every day that an owner of such a pool fails to comply with this provision, he may be fined $100 per day and/or face confinement in prison. Missouri Governor Blunt signed the bill on June 6.

The swimming pool accident that killed Ethan took place on July 17, 2007, when the boy was on a field trip to the Swimmin' Hole water park in Joplin. He was part of a group of children being supervised by the Boys and Girls Club of Joplin. He had enrolled at a summer camp, and the trip to the park was only one of several such outings. There were more than 34 children being supervised by just five adults.

Ethan wasn't a strong swimmer, and his mother Lauren had informed camp counselors about this. That information must have gotten lost because when Ethan was finally pulled out of the water, his body was found at the deep end of the pool. The boy had no business being in that end of the water, and yet he seemed to have been able to slip unsupervised into the depths.

After the swimming pool accident, Lauren said that she had signed a permission slip allowing her son to be allowed only in the shallow depths of the pool. The owners of the park had no liability insurance. Corey's parents sued the owners for wrongful death later in 2007. A bill was introduced in the state legislature the same year by State Rep Marilyn Ruestman, and has now been passed.

What this effectively means is that all private companies who run a swimming pool for profit are expected to carry insurance. The law doesn't help prevent swimming pool accidents. It works in an indirect way to make sure the swimming pools are safe for all who use them. When insurance is required for a water park or other swimming pool owner, the insurance company takes a special interest in the working operations of the pool. Safeguards are installed, and safety precautions are encouraged. This works to help keep the pool safe, making accidents very preventable.

Lauren is working hard to introduce Ethan's Law in other states, and is already making progress with California and Arkansas.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of swimming pool accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.