Girl, 11, Electrocuted in Putt-Putt Golf Pond
An 11-year-old girl was electrocuted at a putt-putt golf course in Florida, an accident that's likely to result in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Ashton Jojo of Latham, N.Y., had just celebrated a birthday days earlier and was on vacation with her family at a time-share resort near Orlando, Miami's WFOR-TV reports.
Jojo was playing putt-putt golf at the resort about 2 p.m. Wednesday. She was trying to retrieve a golf ball from a pond when witnesses heard her scream, sheriff's deputies said.
A fellow guest at the Orange Lake Resort heard Ashton Jojo's cry and ran to the pond where the girl had fallen in, MSNBC reports. The guest tried to pull Jojo to safety, but he was somehow injured in the process.
Rescuers rushed Jojo to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The girl's putt-putt electrocution death was an accident, Orange Lake Resort said in a statement. The resort's mini golf course is closed while authorities investigate.
It's not clear why the pond water was apparently electrified, a sheriff's spokesman told MSNBC. But a building-safety official pointed to a possibly faulty pump that was hooked up to an improper circuit breaker, Orlando's WKMG-TV reports.
As the investigation continues, the girl's family will likely consider a wrongful death lawsuit alleging negligence by the resort's owner and possibly its employees. In general, a resort has a duty to keep its guests safe on its premises.
The family's wrongful death attorney will likely want to know who was responsible for taking care of the pond, and whether those people failed to properly carry out their duties. Perhaps contractors were to blame, or perhaps the resort failed to follow regulations regarding pond safety.
In Ashton Jojo's putt-putt electrocution death, her family may also be able to pursue a survival action for pain and suffering. That's another issue they will likely discuss as they consider possible legal action.
Related Resources:
- Girl, 11, dies after mini golf game at Kissimmee resort (Orlando's WESH-TV)
- Browse Wrongful Death Lawyers by Location (FindLaw)
- Wrongful Death in New York Skydiving Accident? (FindLaw's Injured)
- 'Ultimate Power Meal' Sued for Wrongful Death (FindLaw's Injured)
