Houston family suing DoubleTree hotel for tragic drowning of their daughter
HOUSTON - A lawsuit has been filed against the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in northwest Houston where an 8-year-old girl died in the pool.
Richard Nava is the attorney representing the family, and he said it's been a difficult time for the family.
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Aliyah Jaico and her family booked a room at the hotel because they love to swim and while it's been a difficult time for the family, Nava said they're seeking justice and that's why a lawsuit was filed against Double Tree and the local owners of the hotel.
"We’re seeking justice for Aliyah because this could’ve been avoidable. Everybody knows this could’ve been avoidable," Nava said.
What was supposed to be a fun pool day turned deadly.
"There was an issue with the flow of the water, the backflow, and we believe Aliyah was violently sucked into the hole that was about 12–16 inches wide," Nava said.
Investigators said surveillance video shows the moment that Aliyah, her 5-year-old sister, and 13-year-old cousin were together at the pool when tragedy struck.
MORE: DoubleTree hotel death: Lawsuit filed against Houston hotel after missing girl was found in pipe
"You could see her, you can see them [family members] getting the other children out, then the 13 [year old] turned around and she [Aliyah] was gone. So, you can see her little head go down and never be seen again," Tim Miller, the Founder of Texas EquuSearch, said.
Aliyah's body was contorted when she was sucked into the hole and her body was inside of the motor when she was extracted.
Lawsuit filed against hotel for child's death
The family of 8-year-old Aliyah Jaico has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the hotel property after the young girl tragically died after being sucked into a pipe in the pool. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle has the details of the lawsuit and the recent inspection of the property.
"They had to break up concrete in order to extract her, cut pipe, it was absolutely horrific," Nava said.
Aliyah's mother received a lot of criticism for allegedly not being present at the pool, but Nava said that's not true.
"All the evidence is going to point to this hotel ran an establishment with many violations; the pool was not in working order and we’re going to show that in court," Nava said.
Recent documents reveal the pool had multiple violations including no air gap for wastewater disposal, some drains had no documentation of their function, the enclosures not tall enough, the gates not self-latching, and more.
The family has not seen Aliyah's body and will get a first chance to do so on Thursday when she will be laid to rest.
Aliyah's funeral will be open to the public and will be held at Funeraria Del Angel located at 5100 North Fwy from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.