Coral Gables, FL 33134
633 S. Andrews Avenue Suite 400
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 323-4400
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The Haggard Law Firm’s Michael Haggard and Adam Finkel, along with local co-counsel Alicia Sieben of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben and Abinasir Abdulahi of AMA Law Group, secured a $4.25 Million settlement in a drowning case.
Continue reading “$4.25 Million Settlement in Minnesota Drowning Case Involving 5-Year-Old”The Haggard Law Firm’s Michael Haggard and Kimberly Wald have secured a $1 Million pre-suit, policy limit settlement in a near-drowning entrapment case.
On September 3, 2021, five-year-old Bo Madden was with her family friend’s home in Destin, Florida where they went swimming in the pool at the house. While in the pool, Bo’s hair was entangled on the entrapment cover and she was sucked underwater. Bo was unable to untangle her hair and was trapped, drowning, and dying.
Continue reading “$1 Million Pre-Suit, Policy Limit Settlement in Near Drowning Case”The Haggard Law Firm’s Michael Haggard and Adam Finkel, along with co-counsel Julie Hager, have obtained a nearly $12 Million settlement in a drowning case involving a child who made his way through a broken pool gate and into a community pool.
During the morning of August 24, 2019, Mohamed Salim, a resident of the Arbor Keys Condominiums in Tamarac, Florida, dropped off his minivan with a neighbor, so that it could be washed. Later that afternoon, Mohammed, along with his four and six-year-old sons, walked across the parking lot to check on the status of the van. As the van was not ready, Mohamed sent his sons to the nearby playground, while he waited for his van to be finished. At least 13 minutes later, Mohamed heard screams, as it had turned out that his boys left the playground and made entered the community pool. They did this without Mohamed’s knowledge, and while he was monitoring his van.
Continue reading “$11.95 Million Settlement in a Drowning/Wrongful Death Case”The Haggard Law Firm’s Adam Finkel and Michael Haggard have reached a confidential settlement for $4.5 Million in a pool drowning case. The victim, a young woman, entered a commercial pool of an Apartment Complex and drowned while swimming from the shallow end of the pool to the deep end. The plaintiff’s allegations consisted of code violations regarding the safety line, depth markers, slope of the bottom of the pool, and absence of certain lifesaving equipment. Jane Doe’s wrongful death claim settled for $4.5 million with the owner of the pool.
The Haggard Law Firm has developed a national and international niche representing people injured or killed as a result of dangerous swimming pool drains and negligent supervision and maintenance of pool safety barriers. Law firms from around the country connect with our experienced litigators at The Haggard Law Firm when looking to refer the most difficult drowning and non-fatal drowning cases.
Representing victims of drowning accidents in pools and in swim parks is a significant concern across the country. Successful outcomes for the families we represent can go a long way toward protecting children and families in the future, both in the United States and abroad.
$1 Million Settlement in Case Involving Grandfather Who Drowned During Grandson’s Birthday party
Ocala, Fla – BG Ocala Ranch has agreed to pay $1 Million to the family of an Ocala man who drowned during his 5-year-old grandson’s birthday party.
The family of the 66-year-old victim says the death of their family patriarch was entirely preventable. Children were terrified as adult partygoers performed CPR to the grandfather after he was found floating in the luxury event space home’s resort-style pool.
An investigation conducted by the family’s legal team revealed that the BG Ocala Ranch never should have been offering to customers the property as an event space. The Haggard Law Firm’s Jason Brenner and attorney L. Edward McClellan of McClellan & Batsel, discovered:
Brenner says “the family hopes the settlement will result in businesses who operate public swimming pools to verify they are in compliance with all applicable building and safety codes. They also hope it stands as a warning to the public to make sure a swimming area has all safety measures in place before using it. The family doesn’t want another family to have to endure the lifelong loss they will suffer.”
For decades, The Haggard Law Firm has been fighting for justice on behalf of families who have lost a loved one to a drowning and victims of near drownings. Haggard Law has successfully advocated for improvements to standard pool equipment. Click to learn more
By Christopher Marlowe, trial lawyer, The Haggard Law Firm
Deep into the summer months, swimming pools offer a well-earned respite from the sauna intensity of the sun, and the steambath that follows a warm summer rain. We eagerly jump into swimming pools at hotels, resorts, friends’ houses and on cruise ships. Those who own pools usually don’t think about pool safety all that much, apart from supervising any children who may be using it. We assume, subconsciously, that other peoples’ pools, and especially those operated by businesses, are at least as safe as the one we have at our own house, and that the rules at home will be followed as strictly in a public pool as they would be anywhere else.
These are dangerous assumptions. If you think that checking the safety of a swimming pool before using it is unnecessary or smacks of paranoia, consider this: drowning is the leading cause of injury death among children ages 1–4 in Florida. Too many children (of all ages) have drowned without a capable supervisor watching the area, and others have drowned while those nearby confused horseplay with a deadly drowning underway. Our team at Haggard Law Firm has litigated cases time and time again of drownings or near drownings that could have been prevented by those responsible for a pool taking the proper measures to make it the safest environment possible. And yes, many of these cases have been again apartment complexes and hotels.
Here are easy steps to take to ensure safety around pools during your summer vacation:
Our Michael Haggard will be one of the featured presenters during the upcoming 2018 National Drowning Prevention Alliance Educational Conference’s Aquatic Law Symposium. The objective of the symposium is to provide plaintiff and defense attorneys with information about principles and practices of aquatic law. The event will be held April 2nd to the 7th at the Marriott Waterside in Tampa. Haggard’s seminar “Developing Theories of Negligence Citing Important Litigation Cases by Firm” is scheduled for the morning session which begins at 8:50am on Saturday, April 7th.
The legal symposiums are certified by the Florida Bar and in every state via reciprocity agreement for CLE credits (8 Credits Available)
Michael Haggard’s Aquatic Law Experience
Michael Haggard and The Haggard Law Firm has a long history of successfully litigating cases involving drownings and near-drownings…
Continue reading “Haggard to Lead Seminar During Aquatic Law Symposium”
According to media reports compiled by the USA Swimming Foundation, from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2017* at least 163 children younger than age 15 fatally drowned in swimming pools or spas. Of the 163 reports, 112 of the victims — nearly 70 percent — were children younger than age five. Florida led the nation in drowning deaths during this time period with 25. California was second with 16.
“Every year we see the same tragic statistics regarding pool drownings involving our children. Florida, as well as other warm weathered states, has too many of these horrible incidents” says Haggard Law Firm’s Douglas McCarron. The Haggard Law Firm has represented several families who have either lost or had a child who suffered life-altering injuries due to a drowning or near drowning. (Learn more about drowning/near-drowning cases, click here)
Continue reading “REPORT: 163 Children Drowned in the U.S. This Summer”
LEARN MORE ABOUT MICHAEL HAGGARD
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO ON POOL GATE SAFETY
Michael Haggard, the Managing Partner of The Haggard Law Firm, was the featured expert in a recent story aired by WINK-TV (CBS station) which covers southwestern Florida. The story was a follow-up to the tragic drowning of a 1 and 3-year-old in an apartment complex pool that had no pool safety gate.
Haggard is on the National Drowning Prevention Board and has worked with former Secretary of State James Baker on VIRGINIA GRAEME BAKER POOL AND SPA SAFETY ACT which was a law passed in the United States Congress (in 2008) to set new pool pump safety standards.
Continue reading “Michael Haggard Featured Expert in Pool Gate/Toddler Drowning Tragedy Story”
The Haggard Law Firm, P.A. represents the rights of people seriously injured or killed through the fault of others. We are passionately committed to our clients and stress the highest level of personal service, professionalism and case preparation.
