Daytona Beach, Florida – In a tragic incident in the fall of 2020, Jeffrey Watson, a 48-year-old former firefighter-paramedic, drowned in a rip current off a Daytona Beach, Florida, while under the care of an employee of a mental health and addiction treatment facility, according to court records. Watson, who was, court records indicate, receiving treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and addiction following years of exposure to traumatic events as a first responder, was participating in a group therapy outing when the drowning occurred.

On the day of the incident, red flag warnings indicating dangerous rip currents were posted at the lifeguard towers on, and parking areas for, the beach. However, the lawsuit claims that the facility’s employee led the group to an isolated stretch of beach over half a mile away from the nearest lifeguard tower, where the warning flags were not visible. According to the lawsuit, despite the risk, no effort was made by the employee or the facility to learn the ocean conditions, and the patients were not warned of the existence of, and dangers posed by, the strong currents.

Brill & Rinaldi, The Law Firm, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the deceased’s widow, Leslie Wilson, the Personal Representative of the Estate of Jeffrey Watson, against Promise Behavioral Health, LLC, doing business as Promises Five Palms, and the supervising employee, Leslie R. Johnson. The lawsuit, filed in Volusia County Circuit Court, alleged negligence under Florida common law and neglect under the Florida’s Adult Protective Services Act. According to a Notice filed with the Court on August 1, 2024, the case, LESLIE WILSON, as the Personal Representative of the Estate of JEFFREY WATSON, Deceased, Plaintiff, vs. PROMISE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, LLC d/b/a PROMISES FIVE PALMS, and LESLIE R. JOHNSON, Defendants; CASE NO.: 2021-30765-CICI, was recently settled.

The plaintiff, devastated by the loss of her husband, expressed relief that the case was amicably resolved. “I have some emotional closure. I’m incredibly grateful to Brill & Rinaldi, The Law Firm,” said Wilson.

David Brill, managing partner of Brill & Rinaldi, The Law Firm, commented, “People suffering from PTSD and addiction are precisely the kind of vulnerable adults Florida’s Adult Protective Services Act is designed to protect. We are honored to have advocated on behalf of Jeffrey Watson, a heroic first responder who dedicated his life to helping others, and whose memory will always be cherished by his loved ones.”