Mother of drowned child sues pool owners
The mother of an 11-year-old girl who drowned in a family friend's pool at a Labor Day weekend party in McHenry last year is suing the pool's owners, claiming their negligence led to her daughter's death.
The suit, filed Wednesday in McHenry County circuit clerk, seeks at least $50,000 for Tyronda Jordan from James W. and Geneva Colles, who were holding a Sunday afternoon barbecue when the drowning occurred.
The lawsuit alleges that even though Jordan's daughter, Tyrianna Jordan, could not swim, the Colleses allowed her into the deep end of their in-ground backyard pool on Sept. 2.
According to police and witness reports, the girl had been holding onto the edge of the pool when she lost her grip and slipped into water 8 feet deep, clutching onto James Colles and dragging him underwater with her.
Colles, who also could not swim, managed to make it back to the surface, but without the girl. An off-duty McHenry police officer who lived nearby rushed to the home and pulled the girl out of the water, but efforts to resuscitate her failed.
The lawsuit alleges the Colleses were negligent by allowing non-swimmers like Tyrianna Jordan to use the pool without proper supervision, for allowing her in the deep end and for failing to provide rescue equipment.
Efforts to reach the Colleses for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. A listed telephone number for the couple had been disconnected.
The suit is expected to make its first court appearance July 16 before Judge Maureen McIntyre.