Destiny Morgan and her children anticipated a wonderful vacation at Crown Reef Beach Resort and Waterpark in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Tragically, 4-year-old Demi Williams drowned in one of the resort’s poorly lighted pools.
Although the resort had enough employees to ensure the safety of its customers, it was not obligated to do so by state law. Tragically, Demi’s death adds to the three children who tragically drowned at the resort between 2018 and 2021. A 5-year-old boy also perished in the water only days after Demi.
Currently, Morgan is trying to change the resort’s safety procedures. The wrongful death action claims that Crown Reef’s lack of a lifeguard on duty and a sufficient number of employees constituted unsafe, hazardous, or defective circumstances. They are maintaining that Crown Reef be held responsible for Demi’s death due to their “negligent, reckless, willful” behavior.
South Carolina law does not require pool and lazy river lifeguards, according to the state’s health and environmental control department, which Crown Reef cited. Signage stating that no lifeguard is on duty is essential for any water area other than waterslides. Because automated external defibrillators (AEDs) may potentially electrocute rescuers if misused on a wet body, the state has likewise passed no legislation mandating their placement near swimming facilities.
All of Crown Reef’s pools were found to have the necessary signs declaring that there were no lifeguards during the most recent unannounced inspection in July 2023. The resort is in excellent status with the department. Nevertheless, Morgan and her legal team, consisting of Justin Lovely and Amy Lawrence, believe that signage falls short and strive for substantial enhancements to the resort’s safety measures via their case, which seeks monetary damages.
In 2020, Latoya Fayall, the mother of Malazya Fayall, filed a lawsuit against Crown Reef. In the case, she blamed the overcrowding, lack of a lifeguard, and absence of surveillance cameras for her daughter’s death. In 2023, she finally settled the case.
The accusations against Fayall and Morgan, who were first charged with their daughters’ murders, were later withdrawn. Morgan was freed on bail after spending two nights in prison processing the tragedy of her daughter’s death. Ultimately, last month, the accusation against Morgan was dropped.
