Brewer v. United States
District Court, M.D. Georgia · 1952-12-23 · cited 11×
The case involved the death of 14-year-old Clarence Brewer, who was struck in the head by a lifeguard umbrella that dislodged during a whirlwind at a civilian swimming pool on Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. The plaintiff, the boy's mother, sued the United States under Georgia wrongful death statutes seeking damages for the loss of the child's life and support contributions. The court ruled for the plaintiff, awarding $15,000, after finding that the pool was a government-operated facility and that the defendant was negligent in fastening the umbrella only with loose wire and a broken floor aperture rather than secure clasps or bolts. The court reasoned that this negligence was a proximate cause of the injury, as the whirlwind was a foreseeable natural force that would not have caused the harm absent the defective securing method, rejecting the defense that the event was solely an act of God.