Relatives of family who drowned at Hagg Lake sue Washington County for $4 million

[TexasTowelie]

The relatives of four Hillsboro family members who drowned in Hagg Lake are suing Washington County for $4 million, saying the county failed to warn swimmers of dangerous conditions at the lake.

Three generations of the Garcia-Ixtacua family drowned on Aug. 25, 2014, while swimming at the Gaston-area lake. Fishermen found 3-year-old Jeremy Scholl's body floating. His mother, Gabriela Garcia-Ixtacua, 25; her 13-year-old brother, Michael Garcia-Ixtacua; and their mother, Jova Ixtacua-Castano,42, were later found nearby at the bottom of the lake.

The lawsuit, filed by Gabriella and Michael Garcia-Ixtacua's sister, Maria Garcia, on May 6, said the county knew the lake was unsafe for swimmers because of a deep trench causing a sudden drop-off near the wading area.

While wading in the lake, the children stepped into or floated above the trench then disappeared, the lawsuit said. Family members tried to rescue them but were also caught in the trench.

Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2016/07/relatives_of_family_who_drowne.html

[awake]

1. There is another point of view (from the article)

"The family should have learned to swim or used the life jackets provided by the county at the lake, Washington County senior assistant counsel Christopher Gilmore said in the response. The county said the family was also negligent for encouraging the 3-year-old to use a log to float into deeper water, failing to note water safety signs and drinking alcohol while supervising the children."

[TexasTowelie]

2. I don't know how the comparative negligence laws work in Oregon,

but those facts would certainly weigh into any jury verdict award. I suspect that the family will receive a settlement offer, but it will probably be a six-figure amount rather than $4 million.

[Uben]

3. A good parent always knows or checks the water depth.....

...where they let their kids go wading or swimming. Failure to do so is not the counties fault, and is really negligence by the parents. One must ALWAYS assume water is deep until checked. Some people will sue over anything. Frivolous lawsuit, IMO.