Actress recalls son's drowning in Tommy Lee's pool
Lili2
SANTA MONICA (Reuters) - A German-born actress on Wednesday recalled her son's
tragic death in rocker Tommy Lee's swimming pool, telling a court that she
thought the 4-year-old boy was in good hands with her au pair.
Ursula Karven-Veres, who is suing Lee for wrongful death over the June 16, 2001
incident, said she sent her son Daniel to a birthday party at the former Motley
Crue drummer's Malibu villa but did not know that the children would be
swimming.
Later the boy's father, Hollywood producer and former champion swimmer James
Veres, collapsed into sobs on the witness stand when asked if he missed his
son.
A 24-year-old au pair, Christian Weihs, brought Daniel to the party but left
early to attend a pop concert and asked a nanny who was there with two other
children to watch over him. The boy, who could not swim, drowned about two
hours later.
"I got a call from another mother, Renee, who said that Daniel had an accident
in the pool and come quickly," Karven-Veres said. "I heard the anxiety in her
voice and I screamed, 'What happened?' and she said to come quickly."
The actress, who took the witness stand dressed in black and dabbed at tears
with a tissue as she testified, said she arrived at Lee's home about 10 minutes
later to find her son being treated by paramedics. They were unable to revive
him.
Lawyers for Lee, the ex-husband of "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson, say parents
knew it was a pool party and that Daniel brought swim trunks and possibly
inflatable water wings.
Karven-Veres said that the blue and orange nylon shorts that he brought to the
party were not swim trunks and that she did not send along a towel or sun
lotion. She said she first learned that Lee had a swimming pool when Weihs
arrived home at about 2:30 in the afternoon without her son and explained that
he had left the boy in the care of nanny Judith Zeihm.
"Christian told me: 'Don't worry, he's out of the water,"' Karven-Veres said.
"This was the first time I heard about water. I said: 'What water?"'
Weihs returned to Germany several days after the incident where attorneys for
Lee say they have been unable to find him.
Karven-Veres was followed on the witness stand by her husband, who described
himself as a former "national champion swimmer." James Veres sobbed
uncontrollably when asked if he missed his son.
Attorneys for Veres and Karven-Veres, who are seeking unspecified monetary
damages in the case, say that Lee's party was poorly planned and should have
included life vests for each of the children attending.
They say the rocker threw the party for his son only after learning that
Anderson had had one and that it was geared more for his friends than for the
children.
David Lira, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said he might call Anderson as a
witness in the case to address the issue of Lee's "credibility."
Devine
certainly would not leave him alone for one second at a birthday party in a
backyard where there is a pool...let alone ask someone else to watch him so
I could go to a pop concert. IMHO.
"Lili2" <li...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030409200241...@mb-fh.aol.com...
megans
>
> SANTA MONICA (Reuters) - A German-born actress on Wednesday recalled her
son's
> tragic death in rocker Tommy Lee's swimming pool, telling a court that she
> thought the 4-year-old boy was in good hands with her au pair.
>
>
>
> Karven-Veres said that the blue and orange nylon shorts that he brought to
the
> party were not swim trunks and that she did not send along a towel or sun
> lotion. She said she first learned that Lee had a swimming pool when Weihs
> arrived home at about 2:30 in the afternoon without her son and explained
that
> he had left the boy in the care of nanny Judith Zeihm.
>
>
> "Christian told me: 'Don't worry, he's out of the water,"' Karven-Veres
said.
> "This was the first time I heard about water. I said: 'What water?"'
>
Two stars known world-wide throw a party at their home in CALIFORNIA and
there's a pool?
I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked!
Megan
Marie
> I feel very bad for this couple...but gawd, if my kid could not swim I
> certainly would not leave him alone for one second at a birthday party in a
> backyard where there is a pool...let alone ask someone else to watch him so
> I could go to a pop concert. IMHO.
Snip from article:
A 24-year-old au pair, Christian Weihs, brought Daniel to the party
but left early to attend a pop concert.
The parents did not leave him alone at the party. The child went with
the au pair and he was suppose to watch him and not go to a concert.
That is what the parents pay au pairs for....
Devine
"Marie" <musicl...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:e6a627df.03041...@posting.google.com...
Another snip from article:
A 24-year-old au pair, Christian Weihs, brought Daniel to the party but left
early to attend a pop concert and asked a nanny who was there with two other
children to watch over him.
I don't know about you, but this implies IMHO that the nanny was paid by
someone else to watch their [the people who actually paid the nanny] two
children.....
Kristy
> the au pair and he was suppose to watch him and not go to a concert.
> That is what the parents pay au pairs for....
with the nanny. I can't believe they are using their child's death to milk
a celeb for money, they should be ashamed.
ANIM8Rfsk
<< And so they're suing Tommy Lee cuz he has money because nobody can catch up
with the nanny. I can't believe they are using their child's death to milk
a celeb for money, they should be ashamed. >>
Nobody should be more ashamed than you except your parents. These people lost
a child, Tommy Lee is cleary at least partly at fault, and you're so stupid I
hope you end up in the bottom of his pool before you breed and make the world a
worse place.
___________
Don't just put QWest out of business - put the people in charge in jail. Now.
Lisa Davidson
pairs while our children were smaller and never had them take our kids to birthday parties. The reason - we always felt it
our responsibility to watch our kids, especially at swimming parties. Our kids would roll their eyes about this as they got
older, but we found these parties also included adult drinking more often than not. And our kids are blessedly still
around.
I am really sorry for everyone in this situation - Lee, the parents - but you really can't trust others to protect your
kids in a dangerous situation - which is what a pool party is.
Lisa Davidson
Gremmie 99
>up
>with the nanny. I can't believe they are using their child's death to milk
>a celeb for money, they should be ashamed. >>
>
>Nobody should be more ashamed than you except your parents. These people
>lost
>a child, Tommy Lee is cleary at least partly at fault, and you're so stupid I
>hope you end up in the bottom of his pool before you breed and make the world
>a
>worse place.
I don't think that person has anything to be ashamed of for stating their
opinion. Hell, the au pair is more at fault then Lee, yet they aren't suing
him..and why..because he isn't as rich as Tommy Lee. I think all three parties
share some of the blame, the parents, the au pair, and Tommy Lee. And from the
reports I've read, the au pair came home after pawning the child off on another
person, yet the parents didn't even check up on their child. Do they even know
this other au pair? Face it, if it happened at a regular person's house, the
parents wouldn't be suing. While I do feel bad that a child died, Lee doe not
hold the sole responsibility of the child's death, as there was a person who
was being paid to watch the child, who neglected their duties.
Jennifer
ANIM8Rfsk
<< Lee doe not hold the sole responsibility of the child's death >>
Didn't say he did. I said
<< Tommy Lee is clearly at least partly at fault, >>
Sharon
I'm with you!! If they can't even be responsible for their
son, why do they think Tommy Lee would be?