EDWARDSVILLE – The father of a three-year-old who hit his head and drowned in Pontoon Beach is suing Mallard Lake LLC for failing to maintain a community lake.
Plaintiff William Carruba Sr. filed the lawsuit in the Madison County Circuit Court, individually and on behalf of the estate of his son William Carruba Jr., against Dawn Wilson and Mallard Lake, LLC, citing negligence.
According to the lawsuit, Carruba Sr. entered into a lease agreement with the defendants on Sept. 14, 2018, to rent a Pontoon Beach property in the Mallard Lake community. Near the property was a small lake, which had an open and unfenced platform. The lawsuit states that over time, the water around the platform has dried up, leaving rocks and debris exposed. Carruba Sr. claims he asked the defendants to put a fence around the unfenced platform, but his request was allegedly ignored. On March 5, 2021, the plaintiff’s son was three years old when he fell off the unfenced platform, hit his head on the rocks, and drowned.
Carruba Sr. claims the defendants negligently failed to properly maintain the area around the lake to protect the safety of its residents.
Carruba, Sr. is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, plus court costs and any other relief the court deems proper.
The plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of $50,000, plus court costs and any other relief the court deems proper. He is represented in this case by attorney Ted G. Gianaris and Joshua A. Edelson of Gianaris Trial Lawyers in Alton.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 2023LA000171