As sad as this is....I does not warrant a law suit.

Why not sue the Army corps of engineers for allowing to much water in the river?

Until true frivolous pleading statutes and penalties are In place these types of suits will continue. In essence it means if you sue for no good reason and the judge rules it is frivolous you pay the costs and sometimes fees. It levels the field and would control some of these types of lawsuits. These rules struggle to become law for one simple reason. Most of the lawmakers and all of the judges were or are currently lawyers. They support their trade at the expense of everyone else. You pay for it in your insurance premiums. Until and if this ever changes all you can do is note the law firms who file these suits and keep it in mind when you need future legal services.

I had a bird poop on me while walking along the river. I want the city to pay for dry cleaning, the trees should be cut down so this doesn't happen again.

the city should be able to recoup it's expenses from the ambulance chasing attorneys filing this suit. That would help put an end to this nonsense.

I'd sue beavers - originators of the dam model.

The suit should be against the drowned person for negligence in allowing a child anywhere near the a churning dam. The City saved the young mans life...

And this will come out of every Geneva taxpayers pocket! As the tax armageddon continues. It is us taxpayers who support the Park District and the City of Geneva is it not?

How about a simple rule that the loser pays the winners legal fee.

we should just rope off all rivers, lakes, ponds, pools and all public areas. better yet, why not pay to monitor these areas. let's counter sue the moron's estate for bringing kids to dam and placing the safety personel at risk. wait, family probably broke and that's why we have lawsuit. geez

All of you that leave hurtful messages have NO IDEA what it feels like to lose a best friend and the best big brother any little sister could have. Randy was a very healthy active man, a Captain in the Marines and a Padi Certified diver for more than 25 yrs. I am Randy's sister and was his dive partner. My family is not looking for financial gain from this lawsuit. We want the city to post warning signs in visible areas of the damn and to have emergency equipment such as life preservers and lines that can reach people in the water allowing the person or persons in distress to grab onto. Most damns supply these life saving tools. The same day after Randy died people were fishing in the exact area unaware of the accident. The next day someone saw a father fishing in the same spot with a child under 7yr old. The area of the accident is very accessible and very popular.Anyone thats been to the damn would agree that it does not look scary nor able to have such force to pull a swimmer under to their death.My family wants the city to make necessary measures so that no other family ever experiences the horrible loss that we have. In a Town council meeting the dangers of the damn were agreed upon and safety measures were approved but never carried out. If the damn was fenced off just in that area and rescue tools available Randy may not have lost life. We realize that there is no guarantee these measures would have saved him but at least we'd know all that could have been done was.

Randy was also a registered nurse that worked in a brain trauma unit. He was one of the most caring individuals that always went out of his way to help someone. Randy loved life and he always looked for the positive in all situations. Our family found out after his death that he had volunteered the little spare time he had to buy prayer blankets from a Mission to bring to and to visit cancer patients at their time of need.
Randy was loved by so many that we had to have his memorial service at a Banquet Hall. I feel the loss of my brother so deeply it truly physically hurts. If we can prevent or at the very least provide all measures to ensure another life is not lost we will certainly try. If there is any money awarded from this lawsuit my family will be distributing the award to the charities that Randy held dear to his heart. I assure all those hateful people that we are not looking for personal financial gain from this. NO amount of money could replace my brother!!

Randy sounds like he was a great guy. Terrible tragedy.
But fence off the dam? Seriously?

Perhaps, instead of bringing suit against the City, the family could have attended a City Council meeting and presented their concerns. I cannot believe the deceased man would have approved of this strategy. It seems from reading about him that he was an extraordinary individual who would not want to be involved in something so negative. This is a tragic situation that just keeps becoming more tragic.

Maybe by filing this lawsuit another tragedy like this can be avoided.
And some of these comments are reprehensible. You should be ashamed.

It's a DAM!!!!!! See the white water churning at it's base? Think it's a good idea to step in the water anywhere near it? We can't legislate COMMON SENSE!! I'm tired of the moron minority suing to change what used to be known as having half a brain. He was a brave man to save a child-he also should never have been in the area. Period.

Why can't people just post their comment without calling other people names?
Even my 12 year old knows better.

Any updates on this? Was the lawsuit dismissed?

It looks like it goes to court on August 9.

So the lawyers will get rich and people will contiune to be nasty..the city should post signs (and don't forget to put it in Spanish also). .Then leave the man die a hero as he obviously was. Would like to see original law suit and see if money is involved??