A 36-year-old woman was found dead in a state-run pool in Fall River on Tuesday night, prompting Massachusetts to temporarily close all state-run deepwater pools, the Associated Press reported. According to the authorities, the woman’s body has apparently been in the water since Sunday.
Police have identified the woman as Marie Joseph, 36, of Fall River.
It was not immediately clear if anyone noticed her body between Sunday and Tuesday. A Herald News photo in Tuesday’s paper showed swimmers in the water on Monday.
Joseph’s body was discovered by passersby who were walking by the pool on Tuesday night. She was pulled out of the water by Fall River police who responded to Veteran’s Memorial Swimming Pool at 10 p.m. and Joseph was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
According to Fall River police, a 9-year-old boy that Joseph was watching at the pool on Sunday said she had an accident on a water slide. The boy allegedly stated that ‘‘Marie unexpectedly slid down the slide landing on top of him. He further stated he believed Marie went under the water and did not surface.’’
Closing Off Deepwater Pools
According to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which operates the pool, all 30 of the agency’s deepwater pools will be closed for 24 to 48 hours for investigation of the safety procedures.
While police say that Joseph’s death does not appear to be suspicious, the exact cause of death is yet to be determined through autopsy by the state medical examiner.
Liability Issues and Seeking Legal Help
Since it took over two days for Joseph’s body to be discovered in the pool, during which time swimmers and lifeguards failed to notice anything suspicious in the pool, the safety of the pool can be put into question, and those in charge of maintaining that safety could be held liable.
We will provide updates on this story as more details become available.
If you have lost someone in a drowning accident in Massachusetts that was caused by someone else’s negligence, call the wrongful death attorneys at the Kiley Law Group for a Free evaluation of your case: 1-888-208-1695.
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