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NEWS > U.S.A. > NEAR DROWNING BRINGS LAWSUIT

NEAR DROWNING BRINGS LAWSUIT

Feb 4 2008

Raleigh, NC – A local man has brought a lawsuit against the local water authority claiming unsafe conditions caused a near drowning late last year.

In late October of last year authorities were called to the home of Edward Hoovee by his wife after she discovered him in the bathtub not breathing. After a frantic effort to resuscitate him, Hoovee was transported to an area hospital and released later that day with no ill effects.

“Basically what happened was I was sleeping in the bath, slipped and started to drown. I don’t really remember much except waking up in the hospital,” said Hoovee. It wasn’t until a conversation with a friend that he realized he may have a case against the water authority.

“He made a good point. You buy a can of spray paint; it’s got all kinds of warning labels telling you it could be dangerous. Water is the something we all use, it’s in everyone’s homes and the company that provides it doesn’t see a need to provide any warning that it could be dangerous. It’s completely irresponsible to allow this kind of thing into people’s homes without warning them that it could be dangerous.”

This is the first suit of its kind in this state, but the prospect of going up against the government doesn’t worry Hoovee’s attorney, Brian Wakman.

“It’s one of those dangers that no one really thinks of because it’s around us all the time. We don’t even pay attention. We drink it, we wash our clothes in it, and we even bathe our children in it. Would you bathe your child in battery acid? The dangers are all around us and we hardly even notice.”

Hoovee continued, “We can no longer allow a government organization to get away with distributing such a dangerous product and not even warning citizens of its treacherous nature.”

Indeed, deaths in the bathtub are one of the most common causes of death in the United States today. Statistics show that you are far more likely to die in your own bathtub than you are in a terrorist attack or by assault from a shark. Numbers like that bring chills to some local residents.

“I’ve never known anyone that died in the bathtub, but it’s real scary knowing that you could.” said a neighbour, who asked us to withhold his name.

When asked for an official statement, representatives for the Raleigh Water Authority refused to comment, citing the lawsuit. One official was willing to speak to use on the condition of anonymity.

“I’ve never heard of anything like this before. I mean it’s pretty much impossible to label water. Really, I think the lawsuit should be against the tub manufacturer not against water. And who knows, maybe the guy was drunk and that caused him to fall asleep. Who knows? Water shouldn’t be taking the brunt of this though.”

As for Hoovee, “I’m off water as much as I can. I’m only drinking beer, not washing my clothes, and only taking showers now every few days. And I make sure to wear my shoes when I do.”

The case is expected to go before the courts early next month. 

Mike Michaels, American Correspondent

NEWS > U.S.A. > NEAR DROWNING BRINGS LAWSUIT