PALM HARBOR, Fla. (WFLA) — The household of 3-year-old Kyrie Larry, a boy with autism who drowned in a retention pond behind their Palm Harbor condo in April, spoke publicly for the primary time and is taking authorized motion.
At a press convention held Thursday, Kyrie’s dad and mom, Marcus Larry and Jasmine Torrence, stood alongside their attorneys and an ASL interpreter to announce plans to file a wrongful demise lawsuit towards the Lansbrook Village condo complicated, the place the incident occurred.
“I don’t know if anyone can perceive clearly the struggles and the ache that we face by means of this lack of our son,” mentioned Marcus Larry, talking by means of Autumn Samuels, an ASL interpreter.
The lawsuit claims the retention pond behind the household’s East Lake Street house was unsafe with a dangerously steep slope and no fence, each of which violate state and native security codes, in line with the household’s attorneys.
“We intend to carry this condo complicated liable and accountable for Kyrie’s demise,” mentioned Pedro Echarte, an legal professional with The Haggard Legislation Agency. “And in doing so, we intend to ship a message to different condo complexes and property house owners that they should adjust to governing security rules.”
Echarte mentioned the pond exceeded the utmost allowable slope set by the water administration district and may have been fenced.
“When it exceeds these slope necessities, the rules require that or not it’s fenced,” he mentioned.
The household hopes the lawsuit will push for stronger enforcement of security requirements for retention ponds, significantly in residential communities the place kids could also be in danger.
Information Channel 8 On Your Facet reached out to Bell Companions, which manages the condo complicated, and their authorized representatives at Kelley Kronenberg for remark forward of the story’s air date. On the time, no response had been obtained.
Since then, Sophia Turner-Smith, the chief advertising officer at Kelley Kronenberg, responded with a quick assertion:
“We don’t touch upon pending litigation.”
Regardless of the heartbreak, Kyrie’s dad and mom say they’re staying robust for his or her son, and for different households who is likely to be spared related ache.
“Autism doesn’t include a handbook,” Marcus Larry mentioned. “However it comes with a household that’s robust and that by no means provides up.”
