Ashton Jojo, 11, was electrocuted and killed at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida back in June. She was mini-golfing when she entered into a pond that was only two-feet deep. Now, her family is suing the resort because of her death. Jojo entered the pond to retrieve a golf ball. After the incident occurred, personnel from the resort who work in building-safety said that a faulty pump could have caused the problem. They say the pump was connected to an incorrect circuit break, which might have sent the electric current into the water that electrocuted Jojo.
The girl’s family is asking for $27 million in damages from the resort, according to family attorney Ira Leesfield. “The family is doing horribly,” Leesfield said. “All the hopes and dreams they had for their only daughter — gone.”
The resort is being accused of arbitrarily choosing workers who installed the pump and grounding equipment instead of having it installed professionally. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday of this week. The lawsuit also states that workers at the resort did not help Jojo when she was “unable to move and collapsed in the energized water, thus suffering continuous electrocution.”
“[The resort] has been cited for a violation, even after the incident,” Leesfield said. “They used the wrong equipment, they didn’t use a licensed electrician. They just did it in-house the cheapest way possible. They were negligent.”
The family is asking for damages that cover medical expenses, mental pain and suffering, funeral costs and ‘loss of Ashton’s companionship.’ The resort has just 20 days to respond to the lawsuit but will not issue comments about litigation. The Huffington Post received an email from resort spokeswoman Stacey Sutherland, which included a statement from the resort about the incident and the victim: “Our hearts go out to the Jojo family during this difficult time.”
