Family sues for $1 million after son drowns at community pool near Katy

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – During a busy holiday weekend, a Katy family's son drowned in a community pool.

What happened

Ga Ram Kang died on Cinco De Mayo this year. He was 6.

"Ga Ram was our everything," his mother, Jocelyn Kang, said. Kang is also a Harris County Precinct 7 deputy constable.

Her son drowned at a pool in the King Crossing subdivision in Katy.

Kang said there were about 10 people in the pool at the time of her son's drowning. She said there were two lifeguards on duty.

She said she was tending to her other child when she noticed a male lifeguard run past her in an attempt to save Ga Ram.

"Ga Ram was 5 feet away from the lifeguard when he had drowned and she didn’t even jump in the pool to give him aid or anything," Kang said.

Lawsuit

Now, the child's family is suing a teenage lifeguard, the homeowners association and a third party for negligence.

The family is asking for more than $1 million for failing to exercise safety precautions and for not enforcing maximum occupancy rules, according to the lawsuit. Kang said the pool was overcrowded and there were no occupancy signs.

Kang said a second lifeguard jumped into the pool to try to save the boy. She said the lifeguards were not properly trained to handle emergencies.

"When I see these lifeguards, they’re just playing. They’re on their phones. Surely not taking their jobs seriously because to them it’s a job. It’s not a career," Kang said.

What legal analyst says

Brian Wice is KPRC2's legal analyst. He said employees at community pools need to be properly trained.

"If we’re going to staff community pools, we have to ensure that they have been trained and they know how to do their jobs," Wice said.

What plaintiffs are saying

The homeowner's association and the third party did not respond to KPRC2's request for comment.