Lachine drowning deaths ruled accidental after coroner inquiry
A 34-year-old mother and three-year-old son drowned in residential pool in June 2025; neither knew how to swim.
Quebec's coroner has ruled that the June 2025 drowning deaths of a 34-year-old mother and her three-year-old son in a Lachine residential pool were accidental, as neither person knew how to swim.
The incident occurred June 10 at a home on 20 Avenue near Provost Street. According to the coroner's report, the child and his mother were around the pool late in the afternoon when the boy fell into the water while trying to retrieve a ball. The mother jumped in to save him, but without swimming ability and without flotation devices, she was unable to prevent the tragedy.
The coroner's finding underscores a persistent gap in water safety for young children and adults in Montreal. Swimming ability remains unevenly distributed across socioeconomic and cultural lines, leaving families vulnerable when accidents occur near water. The case also highlights the importance of flotation devices and supervision protocols around residential pools—elements that, had they been present or used, may have changed the outcome.