Authorities in Macau have found the operator of the Sands hotel and casino and an events company partially guilty for the drowning of a 22-year-old during a pool party in 2010.
According to TDM Canal Macau, both the casino operator and the events company – OMG – have been ordered to pay a fine totaling MOP1.16 million ($144,800).
The fine comes after the Court of Final Instance declared both parties liable for blame in lack of oversight measures which could have possibly stopped the fatality.
Regarding Sands, notes the broadcaster, the hotel did not have anyone in place to monitor the pool where the drowning took place, while the CCTV cameras were also not functioning properly.
The Court of Second Instance had initially ruled that Sands held 10 percent of the fault in the case, while the event organizer held 30 percent of the responsibility for the incident.
The pool in question was rented out for the event. However, the courts also ruled that the high consumption of alcohol increased the possibility of accidents or bodily harm, and that there were no control mechanisms on the consumption.
The victim was found to have consumed large amounts of alcohol, while also having other substances present in his blood.
While the event occurred in 2010, the victim spent two years in a coma before passing away – from complications linked to pneumonia, cerebral hypoxia and other issues – which the family in their court defense say cost them over MOP1.5 million ($186,000) in hospital fees.
