A western Washington family is taking legal action after their 10-year-old daughter drowned in a man-made lake over the summer.
The family traveled to Quincy, where they were looking to escape the stress of the pandemic.
Margarita and Simon Ross said their daughter Danika was the life of the party.
“She was a great kid,” said Margarita Ross. “I’m not just saying that because I’m her mom. She was an amazing person.”
“She was already in charge of her life to the fullest extent,” added her father.
But those dreams will never be more than just dreams.
“Every day, I realize more that life will never be the same,” said Danika’s mother.
Court records indicated Danika was swimming in the lake. Unbeknown to her, an inlet pipe that sucked in water for the lake’s water feature was just beneath her.
The force was so strong that it grabbed her and pulled her under. Those documents go on to indicate Danika and her younger brother were trying to grab on to each other.
“Sebastian, who was there, who was holding her hand last before she disappeared,” said Margarita Ross.
Records indicated Danika traveled 70 feet up the tube before getting stuck.
“There was a waterfall feature there, and that stopped working the moment she disappeared,” said Simon Ross.
Her parents said there were no signs or warnings posted that there was any danger beneath the surface.
Now they said they’re taking legal action to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.
The suit lists Cave B LLC, Familigia LLC and others as defendants.
Familigia LLC wouldn’t comment when KIRO 7 reached out to it, but Cave B told us in a statement: “Our hearts break for the Family and Danika. The lake is not on winery property. It is located on a neighboring property that is not owned by Cave B LLC. Our attorneys are looking into this situation.”
“We were talking before it happened, and I said, ‘Danika, you have no idea how great of a future you have ahead of you,’” said her mother. “Whoever been in contact with her, they were truly touched.”