SUMMERFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two Metro Detroit families connected by tragedy at a Monroe County campground are demanding change as they can’t believe it happened again.
Dave Snook’s teenage son, Andy Snook, almost drowned in a pond at KOA Campground in Summerfield Township in June 2021.
In July 2022, Selma Hill’s 15-year-old son Jaylen Hill drowned in the same pond.
Then, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, 18-year-old Anthony Shores Jr. of Ohio drowned in that same pond.
The family of Andy Snook, who almost drowned in June 2021 and now needs 24-hour care, wants to know why something isn’t being done to keep it from happening to another family.
“I was absolutely shocked when I heard about Jaylen,” said Andy’s father, Dave Snook. “It was absolutely devastating because we knew what would happen. And now, this year again, it’s like you got to be kidding me.”
Dave said in June 2021, his then 13-year-old son was a healthy athlete until he nearly drowned during a trip at the KOA Campground with family friends.
“They originally told us that he had drowned and passed away as we were driving,” Dave said. “We got closer to where he was at a local hospital, and then someone called my wife to say he had a heartbeat, and he was in ICU.”
Their son, Andy, has been in a vegetative state ever since.
A year and one month later, Selma Hill got a similar call about her son Jaylen who was swimming in that same pond.
“I remember telling my best friend the last time I was happy was July 22, 2022,” said Selma. “It was so overwhelming because 10 days later, he would have been turning 16, and we were planning his 16th birthday.”
She said her oldest son’s death has had a domino effect on her entire family, including his two younger siblings.
The Snooks and Hills have hired attorney Stephen Lovell of Charara Lovell and Associates.
The Snooks filed a lawsuit more than a year ago, while the Hill family filed a lawsuit this month.
“We’ve hired a diver to go down there and check out exactly what’s going on, why this pond is so dangerous,” said Lovell. “We’ve hired a human factors expert who has looked at this, we’ve hired an aquatic safety expert who’s looked at this, and everybody agrees that everything that’s happened so far is preventable.”
Dave and Selma are hoping their two lawsuits are what inspire change.
“Unfortunately, under Michigan law, the only thing that we can seek for these families is monetary compensation,” Lovell said. “I can’t make camp try to do the right thing. I can’t make Kampgrounds of America (KOA) or Recreational Adventure, and I cannot make them change their policies. I can’t make them shut down this pond. I can’t make them hire a lifeguard.”
Both said they contacted Shores’ mother to offer their condolences and support.
“I don’t want another family to go through what I went through, what Dave is going through, what this other mother had went through a couple of days ago,” Selma said.
“They lost their lives,” Dave said. “We have to keep fighting for them, for their memory. To say that yes, we are trying to stop this, we are trying to stop this next person from getting hurt or nearly drown or lose their lives. We have to keep going.”
The attorney representing Recreational Adventures Campground LLC, owners of that Kampgrounds of America Inc. location, declined to comment.
Lovell said there was one other drowning at the pond before Andys’ incident and believes there could be more people who almost drowned.