Nabila Maazouz.Photo: The Nabila Maazouz Memorial Fund
The family of a teenage girl who died in 2019 after drowning in an Oregon pool has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Her family is seeking $70 million in damages and has requested a jury trial.
The family alleges that the pool covers used were “defective and unreasonably dangerous” and also “violated industry standards” for safety.
“The design and manufacture of the cover is heavy and creates a suction that prevents swimmers from being able to easily self-rescue,” according to the complaint.
The Maazouzes claim the cover lacked “adequate warnings regarding the dangers associated with the use of the cover.”
The family also alleges negligence on the part of the Hillsboro School District as well as the city of Hillsboro.
Hillsboro School District spokesperson Beth Graser calls the student’s death a “tragedy” in a separate statement to PEOPLE.
“Our hearts and thoughts continue to go out to her family and all who knew her,” Graser adds.
Universal Filtration Inc. — the manufacturer of the ThermaGard pool covers — as well as The Pool and Spa House, which sold them, were also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Neither company immediately responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Per the instructions of the team’s head coach, on the night of Nov. 20, a group of swimmers, including Nabila, swam underneath the pool covers as they were rolled over the pool, according to the complaint.
“The swim team members swam under the second cover but Nabila Maazouz did not resurface. The other swimmers continued to cover the pool, without noticing Nabila Maazouz’s disappearance. Once the pool was completely covered, the swimmers and coaches left the outdoor pool and the lights were turned off,” the complaint states.
“As the result of the defective and unreasonably dangerous condition of the cover, Nabila Maazouz became entrapped and drowned,” according to the complaint.
“Nabila had an exceptional love for learning and curiosity about the world,” reads a page on the memorial fund. “From when she was three years old, one of Nabila’s biggest passions was to become a NASA astronaut, a goal that guided so many of her life choices, including academic excellence, love for space exploration, astronomy, writing, and swimming.”
According to a memorial on the Oregon Episcopal School’s website, the fund hasraised over $40,000 since its creation.
source: people.com
