A unique pool feature that created a funnel and invisible undertow turned into a “death trap for children,” said Maegan Bridwell, a drowning victim attorney with The Haggard Law Firm.
A law group representing the Xu family plans to file a lawsuit after 6-year-old Mia Xu died in a hotel pool in Orlando on Dec. 27, 2024. Mia’s mother, Victoria Chen, spoke at a Nov. 13 press conference, calling the tragedy a “failure of the system.” The firm said the hotel pool had multiple violations and intends to sue anyone involved in its maintenance and safety.
The Brief
A North Carolina family is raising awareness about child drowning rates in Florida after their daughter died last year.
Six-year-old Mia Xu drowned in an Orlando hotel pool while on vacation and died at a hospital four days later.
The family’s attorney said the pool had unusual features that made it dangerous.
ORLANDO, Fla. – “No family should ever have to plan a funeral after vacation.”
That’s what Mia’s mother, Victoria Chen, said at the Nov. 13 press conference, nearly one year after her daughter drowned in an Orlando hotel pool and later died.
The family now plans to file a lawsuit against anyone responsible for the safety—or lack of safety—at the Crowne Royal Plaza Hotel pool in Orlando.
Mia Xu, 6, died four days after she drowned in the hotel pool on Dec. 27, 2024.
The backstory:
Mia drowned in a pool at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Orlando on Dec. 27, 2024. The family had traveled from North Carolina and checked into the hotel for a vacation when Mia and her seven-year-old sister asked their father to take them to the pool, according to a press release.
The girls and their father went to the pool around 7:30 p.m., while Chen stayed in the lobby to finalize park reservations. The pool was open until 11 p.m.
The girls played with other children in the pool.
Mia, a talented dancer, died four days after the drowning.
Five minutes later, the older daughter told her father—who was seated 10 feet away watching them—that Mia was stuck at the bottom of the pool. He called 911, jumped in to save her, and she was transported to the hospital.
Attorney Michael Haggard said Mia received treatment for four days for a brain injury before she died.
“This is a failure of the system”
“My daughter Mia was only six years old when she drowned in the hotel pool with no lifeguard, no camera, no warning signs and poor lighting,” Chen said. “I trusted that place to be safe for families, but it was not, and now my daughter is gone forever.”
According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on drowning deaths, Florida ranks among the highest alongside South Carolina, Alaska, and Oregon.
“This is not just a family tragedy, this is a failure of the system,” Chen said.
She called her daughter’s death preventable and urged better protection for children.
“I choose to fight for change. For Mia, and for every child who still plays by the water,” Chen said.
“No pool safety measures”
Haggard said a sign at the pool stated that an attendant should be present, but none was on duty that night.
The pool had several “dangerous” features, including a slide, waterfall, and two other unique elements, according to Haggard.
He said water features can cloud the water, create circulation issues, and put children at higher risk—even those who can swim under normal conditions.
The pool’s unique funnel-shaped feature created an invisible undertow that became a “death trap for children,” said attorney Maegan Bridwell.
Bridwell said the pool had numerous local and statewide safety violations. The law firm is reviewing past inspections for the Crowne Royal Plaza pool, which she said will “undoubtedly show that there are multiple violations at this pool.”
She said anyone involved in maintaining the pool’s safety—or lack of it—will be sued.
“Because Florida doesn’t have a code requirement to have a lifeguard, hotels do it on the cheap—and they don’t have anyone there—and you have tragedies like this occur,” Haggard said.
No Florida statutes for pool water features
Haggard noted that Florida has no statutes governing water features in pools. When slides or waterfalls are added, he said, the pool changes and becomes more “ocean-like.”
He wants Florida law to align with industry standards on dangerous water features.
“We need further legislation on that,” Haggard said.
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