Court documents have revealed how the contracted lifeguard services, who were responsible for patron safety on the tragic day that a father and his five-year-old son drowned at the Airlie Beach Lagoon, allegedly did not have the relevant experience for the job.
The Whitsunday Regional Council contracted company, Ellmill Enterprises Pty Ltd, were initially employed to oversee security and then agreed to provide a lifeguard service.
They are now attempting to use their lack of experience to defend their blame in the double drowning.
It was October in 2018 when Yuanwei Zhang and his son Chenxi drowned at the lagoon, just metres away from lifeguards.
Wife and mother, Jie Tan, has now filed a $4.5 million dependency lawsuit claiming their deaths could have been avoided if proper safety measures were in place.
A sea of contradictory reports are something the court will process in length when official proceedings begin early next year.
These reports range from witnesses detailing how Yuanwei Zhang was a competent swimmer, smiling and laughing with his son, explaining the reason he was never flagged for concern by lifeguards.
Others state he may have suffered a medical episode and further reports suggest the ‘sudden drop’ to a 2-metre depth may have been the cause.
The biggest confusion, however, surrounds the fact that two Chinese tourists were able to slip below the water without anyone noticing or able to raise the alarm, especially with over 300 people reported to be swimming in the lagoon at the time.
Whitsunday Regional Council have since changed the lifeguard company responsible for safety and increased signage and warnings throughout the free community facility.
Tributes left at the site in 2018
