The father of a 5-year-old Bronx boy who drowned in Playland Pool claims the Westchester County-owned facility was understaffed and the lifeguards were ill-equipped to respond to the emergency.
The child was visiting Playland Park with his mother and grandmother on Aug. 1, 2024, when he drowned in the Westchester park’s swimming pool and died days later. Abdulhakim Amer Thabit contends that his son’s tragic death was caused by the “negligence, carelessness and reckless disregard of the public’s safety” by the county and its former park and pool operator, Standard Amusements, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
“The lifeguards’ response to the emergency was not only inexcusably delayed, it was also inept and uncoordinated,” Thabit said in court papers…