Dashboard


Multi-million-dollar lawsuit filed against Costa Mariposa Apartments for the drowning death of 7-year old autistic boy

07/31/2019 11:00 - United States, Texas, Houston - (PR Distribution™)

The Cox Pradia Law Firm seeks justice for mother of son found dead in pond

January 6, 2019 will forever haunt Jarissa Young, the mother of 7-year old Xavion Young, whose body was discovered in a retention pond behind the Costa Mariposa Apartments by the Texas City Police department the day after he was reported missing.

Xavion Young’s mother made multiple requests to Costa Mariposa Apartments to have the locks changed or at least modified on her apartment door, as her son was diagnosed to have autism spectrum disorder “ASD” and was non-verbal. Ms. Young expressed her fear and concern that Xavion would be able to open the door and wander off. The Defendants would not allow Young to make any changes to her own door lock and they refused to change or modify the lock until medical proof of Xavion’s disability was obtained. Young offered to provide records, yet the Defendants refused to accept said records. To Jarissa Young’s dismay, the locks were never changed or modified and this resulted in the death of her son.

Attorneys Jonathan Cox and Troy Pradia of The Cox Pradia Law Firm along with Michael Hatchett of The Hatchett Law Firm say the tragedy could have been prevented. The attorneys seek to hold NRP Costa Mariposa and NRP Management, LLC – which own and operate Costa Mariposa Apartments – accountable for its negligence in the death of Xavion. A lawsuit against the Defendants was filed today in Galveston County and attorneys for Xavion Young’s mother are seeking $25,000,000.00 in damages for the grievous loss their client is suffering because of the Defendants’ negligence.

“Our client has lost her child because of the negligence of these Defendants. They should be held accountable for their negligence, because changing a lock is a small price to pay to protect the life of an innocent child,” said attorney Jonathan Cox of Cox Pradia Law, who filed the case for Young along with his partner Troy Pradia.

Attorney Cox added, “Costa Mariposa knew that the lock in Ms. Young’s apartment was unsafe for a child who was autistic, and they also knew that there was a retention pond located on their property, which served as an attraction to kids and presented a hazard to the community; instead of addressing Ms. Young’s concerns and complying with her reasonable requests for modification of the apartment doors as required by law, they chose profits above people…… they chose money over safety.”

The complaint also addresses the fact that the retention pond was not protected by any safety devices, and the Defendants failed to post signs around or near the pond indicating the potential danger the retention pond posed to children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics conducted a study and released information to the public advising that children with autism have an increased risk of injury or death when precautions are not taken to prevent wandering, which is also referred to as elopement.

According to the study, “nearly half of children with ASD were reported to engage in elopement behavior, with a substantial number at risk for bodily harm. These results highlight the urgent need to develop interventions to reduce the risk of elopement, to support families coping with this issue, and to train child care professionals, educators, and first responders who are often involved when elopements occur.”

While Jarissa continues to mourn the loss of her beloved son, attorneys are demanding answers and seeking justice to ensure that Xavion’s life was not lost in vain.

Disclaimer: The information and views set out in this press release are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of PR Distribution, or the media outlet(s) that this press release may be distributed on. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this press release lies entirely with the author(s). If you have any questions(s) pertaining to this matter, please contact the author(s) directly at: [email protected]

Media Contacts:


Full Name
Tanya Wiley
Company
WC Consulting & Communications
Phone Number
3363452628
Email
View Results in Google
Promote Your Business keyboard_arrow_right