Family of Boy Who Drowned Sues Ohio Water Park

The family of a Michigan toddler who drowned is suing an Ohio water park that calls itself the nation’s largest.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed Nov. 11 in U.S. District Court in Toledo accuses Kalahari Resorts and its affiliated companies of negligence and poor planning. The suit seeks at least $75,000 for medical and funeral bills paid by the boy’s family and for mental anguish.

Three-year-old Hassan Itani of Dearborn, Mich., drowned Aug. 2 in a 3-foot-deep part of an outdoor pool at the park in Sandusky in northern Ohio. The following day, county inspectors recommended that the water park have more lifeguards on duty.

Kalahari CEO Josef Haas said he had no knowledge of the lawsuit. The park has 20 days to file a response.