Nearly two weeks after a teen drowned in a southwest Miami-Dade lake just blocks from his own home, his family is now taking legal action against the developers.
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Jazmine Sanders and her attorneys have filed a negligence lawsuit against three corporations, alleging that the tragedy could have been prevented.
“For this to happen to my baby, I don’t think any parent expects for this to happen,” Sanders said.
Back on June 27, Sanders said her 14-year-old son, Marcus, and some friends went swimming in a lake near North Redland Road on Northwest 12th Street, just a few blocks from their home.
He was supposed to come back home, but later that night, at around 7 p.m., Sanders said they heard sirens and saw ambulances rushing to the lake.
“Your children are supposed to bury you, not the other way around,” she said.
Within an hour of Marcus’ drowning, officials said they got a call about a second near-drowning at the same lake.
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According to Florida’s Department of Children and Families, more than 65 children under 18 have died from drowning so far this year. If that pace continues, the total could surpass last year’s record of 120.
In a 12-page complaint filed Monday, Sanders’ attorneys allege the three corporations named in the lawsuit failed to properly secure or safely maintain the lake.
“There were no barrier, signage, warnings, etc. There were also code issues that are referenced in the complaint as well,” lawyer Kurt Obrant said.
For Marcus’s mom, this is about prevention for future tragedies, but it does not bring her son back.
“I would have rather have had my son,” she said. “…His presence, that light, his presence…That boy had the biggest heart, probably bigger than mine…I’m going to miss him.”
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NBC6 reached out to the three corporations involved in this lawsuit.