DEARBORN (WWJ) - The family of a 10-year-old boy who died after falling off a floating play structure at Camp Dearborn in 2022 has filed a lawsuit claiming wrongful death, gross negligence and more.
WWJ's Charlie Langton said the 10-page lawsuit was filed by Ven Johnson Law on behalf of 10-year-old Carson Dunn's mother, Carly Burgess, and his older brother, who reportedly sustained emotional and physical damage from witnessing the fatal incident on July 6, 2022.
According court documents, Dunn, a student at Country Oaks Elementary School in Commerce Twp, was on the "Jungle Float" on Phillip Lake in Milford Township park when he slipped and tried to catch his fall.
The child reached for a handles on the structure, but the lawsuit alleged the handles were defected or not properly secured. The 10-year-old fell off the float's upper level and hit a railing or platform before tumbling into the water.
The lawsuit says the boy sustained blunt force trauma to his chest in the incident and further claimed the boy died because he did not immediately receive potentially life-saving care that stemmed from lack of proper staffing and training in an emergency.
The City of Dearborn, who owns Camp Dearborn, along with a pair of lifeguards who were on duty when the fatal incident occurred, and the manufacturer, owners and operators of Jungle Float, also known as Tarzan Boat, were all named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The claims accuse the defendants of wrongful death along with negligence, gross negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, breach of warranty and other allegations about the floating structure.
According to the lawsuit, the injuries inflicted on the child stemmed directly from “activities conducted primarily for pecuniary profit,” therefore the City of Dearborn has no governmental immunity protection.
Dearborn’s communications director, Bilal Baydoun, acknowledged the lawsuit to the Oakland Press, but declined to comment.