Long Beach : Parents of ROTC Drowning Victim Sue School District
The parents of a boy who drowned last month in a high school swimming pool have filed a lawsuit against the Long Beach Unified School District, accusing the district and the boy’s teachers of negligence.
Ryan Hardison, 14, drowned May 26 during his first ROTC swimming class at Jordan High School. Hardison was spotted on the bottom of the pool by a lifeguard, who unsuccessfully attempted to revive him, according to school officials.
Ryan’s parents, Loretta and James Hardison, said their son did not know how to swim and was afraid of the water.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Long Beach Municipal Court, the Hardisons blamed their son’s death on the school district, lifeguard Mike Quigley and instructors Nick Church and Ron Massey, saying they “so negligently, carelessly and recklessly supervised the students in and around the pool that decedent, Ryan Hardison, was allowed to drown.”
The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for medical, funeral and burial expenses, along with an unspecified amount for other damages.
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