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Family suing Jacksonville assisted living facility after 93-year-old drowns in pool

Attorneys say Julia Levy was not properly supervised when she fell & drowned at Discovery Village At Deerwood

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The family of a 93-year-old woman is suing a Jacksonville assisted living facility, saying they did not do enough to keep her safe.

Attorneys say Julia Levy was not properly supervised when she fell and drowned in a pool at Discovery Village At Deerwood last summer. The report states that Levy was at the bottom of a pool for around 40 minutes before her body was discovered by another resident.

Levy, the family said, was admitted last March. Her family thought moving her from New York to the senior living facility was the best option so she could be closer to her loved ones.

“In the 3-and-a-half months that she lived in Discovery Village, which is where she was at, you know, there was this tragic ending to her life,” said Levy’s son, David.

Her family says everyday she would wake up and eat breakfast, walk around the pool and then go to her room.

Body camera footage from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office shows the moments after Levy’s body was found on July 8, 2022. The medical examiner determined she died by drowning.

“We thought she was probably going to be down here probably five, seven more years,” Levy’s son said. “So when I got the news of what had happened to her, yeah, it was a shock and it was tough to handle for awhile.”

Attorney Steve Watrel is now representing the Levy family in a lawsuit they just filed against Discovery Village. We asked if he believes Levy’s death could have been prevented.

“Absolutely,” he responded. “What’s really shocking about this case is, No. 1, they’re charging the family for the added protection.”

“Somebody would be with her or in and around that area to make sure that she was safe at all times,” he explained. “As we know from that case, that never happened.”

Records show Levy’s family paid $800 dollars each month for this extra layer of care. Watrel said the facility recommended this because they evaluated her and knew she had dizzy spells and was a fall risk.

When officers questioned employees about what happened, they said they didn’t know when the 93-year-old left breakfast and the security cameras outside did not work.

“It’s unbelievable that in this day and age, no security, no staff and somebody can be at the bottom of the pool for upwards of 40 minutes or more,” Watrel said.

News4JAX called, emailed and visited the facility in an attempt to get a response.

Discovery Village sent us a statement that reads: “We express our continued condolences to the family. Due to confidentiality and out of respect for the family we are unable to comment at this time.”

Levy’s son said he’s felt more than the pain of losing his mother.

“You’ve got anger, and you’ve got disappointment — disappointment that the people you put your trust in didn’t really seem to acknowledge the fact that there were these situations that were very unsafe,” he said.

Based on the police report from JSO, it does not appear that the employees will face any charges in connection with Levy’s death.


About the Author
Renee Beninate headshot

Renee Beninate is a Florida native and award-winning reporter who joined the News4Jax team in June 2021.

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