Parents of girl who drowned at Kansas City water park file lawsuit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The parents of a 6-year-old girl who drowned at a popular Kansas City water park last year allege in a lawsuit that the park repeatedly hires young, inexperienced lifeguards and does not adequately train them.

Therron and Debra Stewart, of Grandview, Missouri, filed the lawsuit against Oceans of Fun and its parent company, Cedar Fair. Their daughter, Adeline Stewart, died at a Kansas City hospital days after she was pulled from the Coconut Cove pool on July 5, 2022, The Kansas City Star reported.

Brian McGannon, a spokesman for the park, said Wednesday the company does not respond to pending litigation.

Lawyers for the family say in the lawsuit that pool lifeguards did not detect Adeline for several minutes, even while park patrons made “frantic attempts” to get their attention.

After she was pulled from the pool, the lifeguards were not equipped to give her first aid, according to the lawsuit.

The Stewarts are seeking a jury trial.

After Adeline’s death, the water park made changes to improve safety, including increasing height requirements for wearing life jackets in the pool, and requiring children shorter than 3 1/2 feet (1.07 meters) to be accompanied by a supervisor.