The Brief
- A woman filed a negligence lawsuit in Sarasota County after her father was found dead in his apartment following a call of a flood coming from his apartment the night before.
- The security guard turned off the water and left despite visible signs of medical distress, according to court documents and the family’s attorney.
- The security company claims the civil lawsuit has no merit while the case remains in the discovery phase.
SARASOTA, Fla – A Michigan woman has filed a civil negligence lawsuit in Sarasota County against a security guard and his firm, alleging they ignored signs of distress before her father was found dead inside his apartment.
Sarasota County negligence lawsuit
What we know:
Brandi Crawford filed the civil lawsuit after her father, Kirk Schonwald, died inside his McCowan Towers apartment, which is run by the Sarasota Housing Authority.
“I had just visited him a few months earlier, and I talked to him on Father’s Day, and he was watching the Tigers game. I didn’t think that would be the last time I would ever talk to my dad,” she said.
On the night of June 20, 2024, a neighbor contacted a security guard with TRVST Inc., reporting that water was flooding through the complex and appeared to be coming from Schonwald’s home.
The guard entered the apartment and found Schonwald sitting on the toilet with water overflowing from a clogged sink. Attorney Darren Finebloom of The Law Place explained that “there were several signs of medical distress. Which included the flooding and feces. The security guard claims he affirmed he [Schonwald] was okay despite all the evidence of the medical distress. Turned the water off and left the apartment.”…