The City of Arlington Sued By Family for over $1 Million in Wrongful Death Case of 3 Year-Old Child

Arlington, Texas - The City of Arlington is being sued by the parents of the 3-year-old child, Bakari Williams, who passed after contracting a rare, brain-eating amoeba from the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad in Arlington, Texas.

The parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit and are seeking more than $1 million in damages. They said their main focus is spreading public awareness about the tragic death of their child.

Bakari passed away on Sept. 11 after being hospitalized in critical condition at Cook Children's Medical Center for about a week.

“For us this case is about public awareness. The last thing that we want is for someone else and their family to have to feel and go through what we’re going through at this time.”

According to the mother, they had taken Bakari to the park splash pad several times in the weeks leading up to his passing. A day after the final visit, she said Bakari ran up a high fever of 102 degrees, which resulted in him having no strength to eat/drink or even go to the bathroom on his own.

Water samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the splash pad was the source of the naegleria fowleri amoeba.

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross and The City of Arlington recently admitted splash pad maintenance errors, citing inconsistent daily water quality testing at two locations, one being Don Misenhimer Park.

The suit asks the City of Arlington comply with state guidelines for water park safety. As of September 5, The City of Arlington closed down the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad, as well as all other splash pads for the remainder of the year.

The City declined to comment on the lawsuit because city officials have not yet seen it.

Source(s):

Fox4-KDFW: https://www.fox4news.com/news/family-of-3-year-old-infected-by-brain-eating-amoeba-at-arlington-splash-pad-sues-city

Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/10/04/family-sues-city-of-arlington-in-childs-death-from-brain-eating-amoeba/