A family from Arlington lost their children to a rare brain-eating amoeba. The family decided to sue the city of Arlington because of the incident.
The Child Who Died
The child who died from the rare brain-eating amoeba is three-year-old Bakari Williams. His family said he became ill earlier last month after visiting the splash pad at Arlington’s Don Misenhimer Park several times. By Sept. 11, Williams died, and the doctors said it was because of amebic meningoencephalitis, an infection caused by the amoeba Naegleria fowleri.
Where Amoeba Can Be Found
The brain-eating amoeba can be found in the soil and warm freshwater. It can get killed by using chlorine. If it is not destroyed, it can enter a person’s body through the nose and travels to the brain. This then causes deadly inflammation in the brain.
Having the amoeba cause inflammation in the brain is a rare occurrence. There have been less than 50 known cases in Texas alone since the 1960s.
Boy’s Parents Sue For Death
In a report by iHeart, the parents of Williams, Tariq Williams, and Kayla Mitchell decided to sue the city through a wrongful death lawsuit. They are seeking more than $1 million in damages. The lawyer of the family said the death of Williams was a hundred percent preventable.
In a press conference earlier this week, Tariq said Williams was “loving, energetic, passionate, sweet, beautiful and innocent boy” and that his son did not deserve to die in such a manner.
An investigation by the city concluded that the city employees did not properly maintain the splash pad and did not treat the water. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of the Naegleria fowleri amoeba in the splash pads.
The splash pads have since been closed after the investigation. Arlington Mayor Jim Ross told WFAA, that part of their job as city leaders is to protect their citizens, and they failed to do that to protect Williams. WFAA quoted Ross saying, “We messed up. We screwed up and we own it.”
