Samantha and her three year old boy Kenny were invited to a
co-worker’s home for a barbeque and swim party. Samantha and
Kenny enjoyed their time in the pool but it was getting time
for dinner and everybody was exiting the pool and going
inside so that they could sit down for dinner away from the
hot summer sun.
Samantha asked her friends to watch little Kenny as he sat
on the couch while she went into the powder room to change
out of her wet clothes. All said “Sure thing”. In just a
matter of two minutes, she was back in the front room, but
Kenny was nowhere to be found. Panic set in.
A quick search of the backyard and swimming pool showed
Kenny not there. A further search of the home, including
upstairs bedrooms, did not locate little Kenny. A second
search of the pool resulted in horror to all present. Little
Kenny lay lifeless on the bottom of the pool. Everything was
done that could be done to save his life, but Kenny was
gone. The sun glare and reflection prevented all from seeing
Kenny in the pool on the very first observation.
Samantha and her husband lost their little baby boy that
day. They could not believe that their friends had failed
them in such a tragic way. The friends apologized but the
pain was deep and the friends immediately distanced
themselves from Samantha and her husband. Few answers were
available.
Samantha and her husband were so devastated from the loss of
their little boy, that neither could muster the ability to
go to work for several months. The bills piled up. The
savings account slowly emptied. The heartbreak seemed to
never end. Eventually, they knew they needed help getting
answers. What did their friends say to the coroner’s
investigator? Why did this happen? Calls made to the
coroner’s office resulted in no information. Seeing no
alternative, they decided to hire wrongful death lawyer,
Rich Harris.
Mr. Harris quickly acquired the coroner’s investigation
report and immediately noticed the lack of
investigation. Literally no statements acquired from the
owner/renters of the property. No police report
referenced. Almost nothing.
The Coroner failed to consider or even reference the
swimming pool code violations for failure to fence the
pool and failure to install alarms on the exit doors of
the residence. The Coroner was being non-responsive
because the Coroner’s office did not do a thorough
investigation and report in this tragic case.
Mr. Harris then contacted the owners/renters of the property
but all refused to provide statements. A lawsuit was filed
on behalf of Samantha and her husband. Answers were demanded
and lawyers for the owners/renters all agreed to provide
detailed statements under penalty of perjury. Samantha and
her husband received the answers they needed. They received
compensation from the property insurance companies that
allowed them to recover their financial losses.
If you are not receiving answers from the Coroner’s office
it may be because they failed to do a thorough investigation
of your loved one’s death. More often than not, the
Coroner’s office does a good job. But mistakes are made, if
so they become quiet, they don’t provide loved ones with
answers. They delay reports, they delay everything. You
might be told they have six (6) months to issue their
findings or that reports are on a law enforcement hold. You
receive no answers...when you need them most.
With over 20 years of experience working with Coroner’s
offices, Mr. Harris is able to collect the facts, make the
calls, and hire the investigators to get answers to your
questions. Mr. Harris knows the right questions to ask, how
to ask them, so that you get answers faster. Criminal
investigations do cause delays but you deserve answers as
fast as they can be acquired. Mr. Harris, asserts and
protects your rights so that you get the truth as soon as it
becomes known.
** Certain facts and information has been altered and/or redacted to protect the identity of those involved. Yet the underlying facts and results are a true account of an actual case. The law does provide Coroner's offices with certain legal rights to delay reports and information. Please call our office and we will review your case and advise you of your legal rights. There is no-cost to you...we provide this initial review free of any charge, fee or obligation.