On Friday, October 25th, an Arapahoe County jury (Denver, CO) awarded $3.75 million to the parents of a 12-year-old boy who drowned in a country club swimming pool. The financial determination came at the end of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Bill and Melissa McGarvin-O’Melia.
Swimmer Drowns at Country Club
Back in June of 2010, Drennen O’Melia drowned while swimming at a private birthday party in the pool at Southglenn Country Club in Centennial, Colorado. Two attending lifeguards were on duty at the time of boy’s drowning. In response to the incident, Mr. and Mrs. O’Melia filed a wrongful death suit against the country club in November of 2011. In their lawsuit, the parents alleged that the country club and its lifeguards were inattentive and that the club’s pool safety policies were inadequate. The lawsuit named the Southglenn Country Club, then-general manager Jerald Nonko and the two lifeguards on duty at the time of the inciden.
Drennen was considered a strong swimmer for his age and had won several swim races the day before. On the day of the drowning, he was pulled out of the shallow end of the pool by another 12-year-old boy, according to his father Bill. Approximately 30 people were in the pool when Drennen drowned. He was discovered underwater in the pool at the base of an unmanned lifeguard chair.
During a civil trial lasting only six days, an expert in forensics testified that Drennen’s condition indicated that he was underwater for a minimum of five minutes before he was pulled out of the pool. Although whatever caused Drennen to become submerged was not made clear, an autopsy confirmed that he had in fact died from drowning. Human brain cells begin dying following just a few minutes of oxygen deprivation. The jury returned its verdict finding in favor of the O’Melias, finding the club responsible for the boy’s death.
“He was underwater too long and they missed him,” Melissa McGarvin-O’Melia said in a public statement. “We knew all along that they had missed him and that there was shoddy work being done. Now, to finally be validated in that, gives us a little bit of closure.” Southglenn Country Club officials declined to provide any comments to the press.
Parents Create Charitable Fund for Safety and Opportunities
Drennen’s parents, who still live in Centennial just outside of Denver with their two younger sons, expressed their gratitude for the overwhelming support they’ve received from their surrounding community after Drennen’s death.
Drennen excelled in sports and was an active leader in several different youth recreational activities. Since the drowning, Drennen’s parents have created “Drennen’s Dreams”, a special fund designed to aid, support, and provide scholarships for children involved in swimming, sports, and similar types of programs today. The fund is part of the Denver Foundation, a larger nonprofit organization working toward promoting and improving pool safety in addition to expanding local youth programs. The O’Melias noted that a considerable portion of the settlement will be used to bolster the special fund and provide more scholarships to young students like Drennen.
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