Two Kansas City Teens Drown at Church Camp

In mid-July, two teenage boys from the Kansas City area drowned to death in a community swimming pool.  The boys were just fifteen and fourteen years old.  Authorities do not suspect that they were goofing around or even that foul play was involved because this case appears to be completely accidental. 

The two boys were attending a youth camp put on by one of America's largest athletic youth leadership organizations, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).  The camp was being held in Pella, Iowa.  This camp pertained especially to the boys' interest seeing as how they were both skilled athletes and devoted to their faith. 

But just because a child is athletic does not mean that they are naturally inclined to withstand an accidental drowning.  Sadly, the bodies of both boys were found together under the diving boards at a community swimming pool complex. 

Why did this happen?  It is believed that no lifeguards were on duty at the time of the drowning.  And to make matters worse, the parents of both boys had signed release forms prior to camp indicating that these boys were incapable of swimming.  For whatever reason, these forms were overlooked and these children were allowed into the pool area.  Sometime later, another camp attendee noticed that the boys were no longer with the group, and that is when the search began for them. 

This story has now torn up their religious community.  The funeral services for these children were performed by their youth pastor but not without a considerable share of tears.  The older boy was loved for the kindness and generosity he showed towards others, especially younger children.  But what makes this story especially tragic, is that the younger of the two boys had actually survived the earthquake that occurred in Haiti earlier this year.  He and his mother had finally found a safehaven in the Kansas City area.  But now his mother who survives him is without her son. 

This story is especially heart-wrenching not just because it hits so close to home, but also because it could have been prevented if those release forms had been taken into account.  The Kansas City child injury and accident lawyers of Roswold Law Group want to express our deepest sympathies to the families of these child accident victims.  This situation is truly unfortunate and we write informative articles like these to inform parents and prevent child injury situations.  If you believe that a child you love has suffered at the hands of a negligent adult and you seek legal counsel, we urge you to give our law offices a call.