Founder and Managing Partner
Was the Murrieta Valley School District responsible for the tragic death of Alex Pierce, Age 13?
Sabrina and Rodriquez Pierce suffered a tragic, almost unimaginable loss when their son, 13-year-old Alex Pierce, died this past June as a result of an accident at an end-of-the-year school swimming party. Court records show that the lawsuit, filed recently, was brought by the Pierce parents against the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. The suit charges that the school district was negligent by inadequately staffing the venue and by failing to attend to the child when he sunk to the bottom of the pool.
If someone you love has suffered a wrongful death due to the negligence of another individual, agency or institution, you should consult with an experienced personal injury attorney who will take over all legal aspects of the situation. Though your grief will remain, at least someone with compassion and expertise will be handling negotiations and/or litigations to make sure that you receive the compensation you deserve.
The Awful Circumstances of the Case
Police and school officials report that, on June 3rd of this year, Alex Pierce was pulled from the bottom of the swimming pool at Vista Murrieta High School during an end-of-the-year party for about 100 members of the band and choir. The boy was underwater for approximately 95 seconds before being rescued. According to Murrieta Police Captain Dennis Vrooman, “Nothing inappropriate was observed.” There is surveillance footage showing that Alex unintentionally floated to the deep end of the pool where he could no longer stand.
Indications that this Was a Wrongful Death
The wrongful death case is built around several assertions, including:
- There weren’t enough staff members to supervise the 100 students at the pool site
- The representatives and employees of the Murrieta District who were in attendance “lacked the requisite experience to supervise the pool area and to render aid to young swimmers in emergency situations.”
- Alex was not pulled out of the water by a student lifeguard or staff member, but by fellow students.
- The boy was without oxygen for approximately nine minutes.
- No school district personnel, nor lifeguards, dove into the water to assist Alex.
- Lifeguards at the scene did not perform CPR on Alex during the nine minutes before EMS arrived.
- Authorities believe that, had Alex received oxygen immediately, he would have had a much greater chance of surviving the ordeal.
By the time paramedics arrived, Alex was in such critical shape that he was taken first to a nearby hospital and then airlifted to a more major hospital. He remained in a coma on life support until July 7, 2016 when he was pronounced brain dead by doctors at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. As the wording of the wrongful death complaint states, this “case stems