Court documents have revealed that the lake that Glee actress Naya Rivera died in while attempting to rescue her son had a 'deadly history'.
The actor’s disappearance in the lake sparked a wide-scale search to find her or her body, with Rivera’s body being found after five days.
Yesterday Rivera’s ex-husband and the father of her son did his first sit-down interview since her death, revealing her final words and heartbreaking details about the residual trauma it has left on her son.
Rivera’s death
The actor’s death took place in Lake Piru, California.
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Rivera rented a boat and took her son swimming, but when the boat started to drift due to a change in the current, she urged her son to safety.
She ended up swimming over and hoisting him in to the boat, with the incident report into her death revealing she drowned due to the exhaustion of getting her son into the boat.
Her son, Josey, was only four at the time, with her ex-husband Ryan Dorsey saying in the interview released yesterday: “The last thing she said was his name, and then she went under, and he didn't see her anymore.
"It just rocks my world that he had to witness her last moments.”
Lake Piru’s history
Lake Piru, the site of her death, was revealed to have a ‘deadly history.’
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Rivera’s family launched a lawsuit against Ventura County in which their lawyer pointed in filings to the deaths that had occurred in the lake.
He said in court documents that there wasn’t ‘a single sign anywhere, not at the entrance, at the dock, at the popular swimming area of Diablo Cove — not anywhere warning of the lake's strong currents’ and other potential hazards of the lake.
According to the Los Angeles Times, seven people died in Lake Piru between 1994 and 2000, and the court filings stated that a ‘couple dozen’ had died since 1959.
It was stated by The Times that ‘most drowning victims were swimmers venturing into restricted waters’.
Lawsuit against Ventura County by Rivera’s family
Rivera’s estate, as well as Dorsey on behalf of their young son, launched a lawsuit against the county, claiming the boat rented did not meet proper safety standards in its equipment and features.
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It was eventually settled privately, with their family lawyer saying: “Through this settlement, Josey will receive just compensation for having to endure the drowning of his beloved mother at Lake Piru.
“Though the tragic loss of Josey's mother can never truly be overcome, we are very pleased that the monetary settlement will significantly assist Josey with his life beyond this tragedy.”
Though the matter was settled, Ventura County officials insisted that they were not at fault for the death due to Rivera declining the offer of a life jacket.
The lawsuit argued that the pontoon Rivera rented was missing an anchor, a ladder, rope, or any equipment meant to prevent a swimmer from being separated from the boat.
Michael Slavin