An out of court settling has been reached following a five-year legal battle with the widow of a Chinese commercial airline pilot who drowned at the Airlie Beach Lagoon with his five-year-old son in October 2018.
Yuanwei Zhang, his son Chenxi and wife Jie Tan were visiting the Whitsundays on a cruise ship when they went ashore for the day and tragedy struck.
It is understood the pair were swimming at the lagoon while Jie Tan went to the nearby shops and it is possible that Mr Zhang suffered a medical episode while in deep water and was unable to save himself or their son.
It had been a busy day at the lagoon and many people were baffled that no-one noticed the pair quietly slip below the water.
It was six minutes before Mr Zhang’s submerged body was found and a further seven minutes before the young boy’s body was brought to the surface.
Following the tragedy, Jie Tan launched a $4.5 million legal case, suing the lifeguard company Ellmill Entreprises and Whitsunday Regional Council who own the facility.
She alleged that risk assessments of the facility had not been made regularly and that the lifeguards were negligent on that day.
Shortly after the incident a lifeguard tower was placed at the site and it is believed that the lifeguard company was also replaced.
The matter has now been settled out of court but there is no information available to indicate the agreed amount.
The family together a few days before the tragedy. Photo supplied
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