Second lawsuit filed following incident at The Cove in Lawrence County

By Roberta Cantrell

BSN Editor

Another lawsuit has been filed following an incident at The Cove June of 2023, however this lawsuit has been filed against Sasha Dotson who was the plaintiff in the first lawsuit.

The first lawsuit filed April 2 of this year by Dotson, of Louisa, stated that on June 6, 2023 her child was playing at The Cove, an inflatable water park located on Beach Road on Yatesville Lake, when he was injured on the waterslide on property owned by Lawrence County and managed by Mildred Suzie New, who along with the business was named as the defendants in that suit.

The latest lawsuit filed by Boyd County resident Celine Willets states that she suffered injuries that day as well, only her injuries were caused by Dotson’s child whom the suit says Dotson failed to control after being warned numerous times of his actions that the complaint said caused her to be injured and eyewitnesses said was ultimately the cause of the child’s injuries as well.

The complaint accuses Dotson of being negligent when she had a duty to supervise the child such as to control him from intentionally harming others.

Specifically, the minor child situated himself near the waterslide and began throwing rocks, sand and other projectiles striking the other users of the water slide who were unable to dodge the objects being thrown at them.

The complaint also states the child was climbing up the slide to the hallway point and also on the side of the slide causing a nuisance to customers of the water park.

Upon observation of the nuisance the child was creating the lifeguard and other employees instructed the child to leave the area in which he did not.

“During the time in which the child was creating a danger and nuisance to other customers of the water slide, his mother, Sasha Dotson was located at the other end of the waterpark, far away from the danger and nuisance being created by her minor child.”

Customers at the water park sought out Dotson and warned her that her child was creating a danger and hazard at the water slide and was specifically requested to control her child in which according to the complaint Dotson took no action to control her child and prevent injury to others.

“Defendant Sasha Dotson had a specific duty to control the child in view of the fact that she had specific knowledge that the child was creating a hazard,” the complaint states “Dotson breached these duties and those breaches were the proximate causes of injury to the plaintiff.”

Due to the child’s actions Willets suffered damages, including headaches and physical and mental suffering as the result of negligence.

“The Defendant demonstrated a flagrant indifference to the rights of others, including the plaintiff, satisfying the requirements under malice under the Kentucky Revised Statutes. As such, the Plaintiff is entitled to punitive damages in accordance with the KRS.

Willets is asking for the amount of compensatory damages and reasonable as established by the evidence, prejudgment interest from the date of the injury until such time as a judgement is paid, a trial by jury, her costs herein expended, punitive damages and for any and all other relief to which she may be entitled.

Willets is being represented by Robert Waters of Waters Law Group, Esq. of Louisville.