City of Myrtle Beach dismissed from 2019 lawsuit alleging negligence in fatal drowning

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The lawsuit filed against Myrtle Beach alleging negligence led to a man’s drowning death in 2018 has been dismissed.

According to a statement from the city, the dismissal occurred before the trial began last week.

In 2019, Meswaet Abel, the fiancé of Zurihun Wolde and mother of his four children, filed the lawsuit against the city of Myrtle Beach, Lack’s Beach Service and an unnamed lifeguard.

Lack’s has a contract with Myrtle Beach to provide lifeguards and beach safety. Lack’s is allowed to sell beach equipment on certain areas of the beach.

The lawsuit states that the family visited Myrtle Beach in August 2018 for a vacation and stayed at the Sea Crest Resort on South Ocean Boulevard.

The lawsuit claims that on Aug. 23, 2018, the National Weather Service posted an alert about rip currents in the Myrtle Beach area.

“At no point were there warning signs about the rip currents nor did lifeguards provided by Lack’s warn them of the same,” the lawsuit states.

Court documents show that Abel and his two oldest sons went into the water and became caught in a rip current. The lawsuit claims that Abel called for help, but no lifeguard responded to his cries for help.

The lawsuit also claims that the city of Myrtle Beach was negligent in hiring Lack’s because it had lost its certification from the United States Lifesaving Association in 2016.