$7.5M verdict after teen drowned at a country club pool with no lifeguard on duty
Signs told swimmers no lifeguard was on duty. The estate argued a Shelby County rule required two.
Amount awarded by the jury $7,500,000 U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama (Birmingham) · June 10, 2026 · Shelby County, Alabama
A federal jury in Birmingham awarded $7.5 million to the estate of an 18-year-old who drowned at a country club pool in Hoover, in Shelby County.
On a Tuesday afternoon in August 2023, he went down the pool’s long slide into the 12-foot deep end. Friends noticed him at the bottom of the pool about a minute later and struggled to pull him out, finally using a pool crook. He had been underwater five to six minutes, suffered a severe brain injury and died the next day. He had graduated from high school weeks earlier.
The club used certified lifeguards only from Friday through Sunday. Signs at the entrance said no lifeguards were on duty and that patrons swam at their own risk, and the depth of the deep end was marked on the pool deck.
The estate’s case rested on a Shelby County regulation requiring two certified lifeguards on duty at the pool. Its pool safety expert testified that the club fell short of industry standards and that lifeguards would likely have seen the drowning in time to act. The club pointed to its warning signs. The jury returned its verdict on June 10, 2026.
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Published by Dan Wentz
Commercial insurance producer in Birmingham, Alabama, specializing in coverage for commercial real estate owners.