Lawsuit claims Oceans of Fun employees made young girl take off life jacket before she drowned

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The parents of a 6-year-old girl who drowned at Oceans of Fun last summer claim park staff made the young girl take off her life jacket when she first entered the waterpark.

The lawsuit says Oceans of Fun and Cedar Fair Management should be held responsible for what happened to 6-year-old Adeline Stewart in in a new wrongful death lawsuit brought by her parents Debra and Therron Stewart.

The filing claims others in the park made frantic attempts to get the attention of lifeguards to no avail and the little girl remained underwater for minutes.

The lawsuit argues inexperienced, young, poorly trained lifeguards did not handle the emergency in a timely manner and did not know how to properly give first aid.

Adeline Stewart was rushed to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where she was placed on life support but ultimately died from drowning. Her organs were donated.

Attorneys point to other drownings and catastrophic incidents at Oceans of Fun as evidence the park should have known the dangers in Coconut Cove.

It claims portions of the waterpark are outdated and dangerous, but the company places profit over safety.

KCTV5 has reached out Cedar Fair for a response but has not heard back.

Since the incident, Oceans of Fun has made changes. They have increased the height requirement for those needing life jackets and require that children shorter than 3.5 feet tall be accompanied by a supervising companion.

Previous coverage:

After child’s death, Oceans of Fun updates life jacket safety requirements

Child dies from injuries after being found unresponsive in Oceans of Fun pool

Child in critical condition after being found unresponsive at Oceans of Fun pool

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