There have been many past tort cases involving questions of whether pools had sufficient lifeguards at a pool to avoid a drowning. The City of New Orleans could face a rather unique tragedy where a fully clothed man drowned at a party for lifeguards with 100 lifeguards partying around the pool at the time.



Jerome Moody, 31, was found on the bottom at the deep end of a New Orleans Recreation Department pool at the end of the party. He was not a lifeguard but it was an end of season party for over 100 such guards. He was not found until lifeguards were clearing the pool at the party’s end.

A civil lawsuit could look at the level of supervision and staffing issues surrounding the party. It is an interesting question as to whether the guards at the party were “on the clock” or simply on their own time. I assume the latter. However, the number of trained staff at the pool raises the question of the murkiness or cloudiness of the water (a common problem in such cases, particularly in the deep end) as well as the conditions of the party (and whether they interfered with the ability of the guards to fully observe swimmers).

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