ManitobaThe family of a 14-year-old boy who drowned at a city-run pool in 2024 is now suing the City of Winnipeg and four lifeguards, claiming negligence led to the boy’s death.Family claims city and workers were ‘negligent,’ leading to the boy’s deathDave Baxter · CBC News · Posted: Aug 25, 2025 7:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours agoThe family of 14-year-old Adam Sereda-Paul, seen here, who drowned at the pool at the Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex on April 1, 2024, is now suing the city of Winnipeg and four lifeguards, claiming negligence led to the boy’s death. (Randall McKenzie/CBC)The family of a 14-year-old boy who drowned at a city-run pool in 2024 is now suing the City of Winnipeg and four lifeguards, claiming negligence led to the boy’s death. In a statement of claim filed on Aug. 21, Cindy Paul and Jason Sereda, the parents of Adam Sereda-Paul, say they are seeking damages after the death of their son. Sereda-Paul was found unconscious in the pool’s deep end at the Cindy Klassen Recreation Complex at about 4:38 p.m. on April 1, 2024, and later pronounced dead in hospital.The lawsuit names the City of Winnipeg and four lifeguards, whose identities are not revealed in the claim, as defendants.It seeks damages of approximately $110,000 from each defendant, to be split between the boy’s parents and several other family members. It is also seeking damages to cover the boy’s funeral costs, plus other specified damages. The lawsuit claims the City, as an occupier of the premises, owed Sereda-Paul a statutory duty of care.Trained and certified lifeguards were responsible for ensuring the safety of pool users, and the suits says the City should be found “vicariously liable” for the conduct committed by its employees within the scope of their employment.According to the claim, four lifeguards who were working at the pool at the time of the incident were “negligent and breached their statutory duties owed to Adam,” and the suit alleges negligence led to Sereda-Paul’s death.The four lifeguards named as defendants failed to supervise or guard Adam, and failed to provide any “adequate watchfulness” of Adam, the suit claims. It also lists multiple other alleged failings of the lifeguards. The City also failed to have an adequate number of lifeguards on deck when the boy drowned, the suit claims, and employed employees who lacked the “appropriate skill level” fit for lifeguarding, calling guards who worked that day “inexperienced and immature.”The boy’s mother has not been able to adequately perform her work duties since her son’s death leading to a loss of income, and she has suffered with psychological injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and a fear of going to recreational water facilities, the suit says. She has also required professional counselling.The lawsuit says the boy’s father has also required special counselling since the incident.City’s analysis of incidentA post-incident analysis by the city’s recreation services division, dated Oct. 31, outlines the timeline, circumstances and employee interviews involving Adam’s drowning. It was provided to CBC News by Adam’s mother. The analysis says there was “unclear direction” about how many lifeguards should be on a pool’s deck throughout the city’s facilities.The lifeguard who found Adam unconscious in the pool said he did not use his handheld radio after the discovery, and that an emergency button was pressed multiple times before the alarm was activated.Adam wasn’t breathing when he was pulled out of the water, and staff did not find a shockable heart rhythm when they used an automated external defibrillator on him. Lifeguards did multiple rounds of CPR before the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service took over care.An internal review following the incident identified safety and protocol issues, leading to new safety rules for Winnipeg pools.The analysis found that front desk staff did not complete their counts of how many people went to the pool on that day.Staff were also uncertain about procedural differences between adults and children when using an automated external defibrillator, as well as the correct CPR order, the analysis says.There were “inconsistencies” in the aquatic emergency response that were also noted in the analysis, which recommended the four staff who responded to Adam’s drowning receive a developed and personalized retraining plan.In an email, a city of Winnipeg spokesperson said the city would not comment on the lawsuit because it is a legal matter. None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been tested in court.ABOUT THE AUTHORDave Baxter is an award-winning reporter and editor currently working for CBC Manitoba. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he has also previously reported for the Winnipeg Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press, as well as several rural Manitoba publications.
Parents sue city, 4 lifeguards after 2024 drowning death of their son
