South Carolina Resort to Pay $26 Million to Child Burned in Pool

When a resort offers a swimming pool as an amenity, many vacationers take advantage of it. Most people love relaxing in a pool. Even children love to splash and play.

Tragically, a pool at one resort in Myrtle Beach left a young child with severe chemical burns, resulting in a landmark $26 million settlement after a 3-year-old boy suffered serious burns due to dangerously high chlorine levels in the resort’s pool.

The incident happened over Memorial Day weekend in 2020. The boy and his family were visiting the resort and used the pool at the time. The boy complained of pain and, after returning home, the boy’s parents noticed worsening symptoms and took him to his pediatrician.

Sadly, physicians determined that the toddler had sustained chemical burns requiring a lengthy hospital stay at the University of North Carolian Burn Center.

The family also contacted the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), since they suspected the burns must have come from elevated chemical levels in the resort’s pool. Their suspicions were accurate. DHEC shut the pool down after testing and a determination that the boy’s burns were caused by “dangerous and illegally high levels of chlorine.”

According to the lawsuit, the resort looked safe but really was not, as records provided by the resort to DHEC had actually been falsified for many years. While the resort’s logbook showed normal levels on both days the child was in the pool, an investigation revealed that the resort employee who actually filled in data on days he was not even working, including a day when the young boy sustained his  burns.

As a result of the settlement, the family is hopeful that the outcome will send a powerful message to corporations that a lack of appropriate safety measures at their properties is simply unacceptable.

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Hotels, resorts, and other property owners need to ensure their properties are safe for guests. While chlorine is usually a necessity for pools, those in charge of pool maintenance need to ensure chemicals are used at safe levels to prevent injuries.

Injured on someone else’s property due to negligence? A Columbia premises liability lawyer from Simmons Law Firm can help. Our premises liability lawyers are skilled and experienced in building a case that proves the property owner’s liability and either negotiating a fair settlement or taking the matter to court. To schedule a free consultation, call (803) 779-4600 or fill out the online form.

Source:

newsnationnow.com/us-news/southeast/myrtle-beach-resort-to-pay-26-million-to-family-of-3-year-old-who-was-burned-in-pool/