The investigation into a Murrieta woman who was found dead in the Lake Elsinore Travel Inn swimming pool on Thanksgiving continues, but authorities are releasing few details.

Nicole Lambert, 26, was found dead in the lodge’s swimming pool around 11:55 a.m. on November 24, 2011.

Today, Cpl. Courtney Donowho, spokeswoman with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, said “the cause of death is drowning, but there is no further information available at this time.”

It is unclear how Lambert Cruz drowned and who found her; motel staff are referring reporters calls to police.

According to the deceased’s mother, Lambert Cruz was living with her grandfather in Murrieta when she went missing November 19. “She left for a walk and never came back,” said Donna Lambert.

Details from the autopsy and toxicology reports have not been made available.

The Lambert family had been in the media spotlight prior to Thanksgiving for their staunch support of the medical marijuana movement.

Donna Lambert’s elderly father Don, who Nicole lived with, had been a fixture at Murrieta City Hall where he regularly advocated on behalf of medical marijuana patients. Don took up the cause after his daughter Donna was arrested in 2009 for marijuana possession in San Diego County.

Her case garnered significant media attention. She was accused of providing cannabis to an undercover police detective who posed as a medical marijuana patient. The sting was part of a larger investigation dubbed Operation Green Rx spearheaded by San Diego District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

In 2010, however, felony charges against Donna Lambert were dismissed.

The Law Offices of Gary A Kessler has successfully represented numerous families and individuals that have suffered serious injuries and deaths from swimming pools, association pools, jacuzzis, spas/ hot tubs, water parks and whirlpool bathtubs.

Many swimming pool drownings occur due to:

• Negligently designed and misconstructed pools;
• Pools not having adequate safety fences around their pools;
• The pool was so filthy that you could not see the bottom of the pool (where the child fell in and drowned) or the child at the bottom of the pool;
• Door lock mechanism malfunction from a state of disrepair on a sliding door to the house;
• The patio/ entry was too easily accessible to a child from inside the house;
• Screen door frames bent outward causing latch mechanisms to be out of alignment, defective and useless;
• Inadequate fences or improperly installed fences;
• Failure to install child safety locks on doors, screens, or fences;
• Dangerously defective pool covers which could not support a child’s weight;
• Negligent Supervision;
• Poor or improper maintenance of the pool and surrounding area;
• Too few lifeguards;
• Lifeguards not paying attention to swimmers or children in the pool area;

Pool Association & Hotel/Motel Drownings

Defendant pool associations and Hotel/Motel pool drowning cases usually occur because the defendant commercial pool owner:

• (1) Failed to hire experienced lifeguards
• (2) Failed to hire enough lifeguards
• (3) Negligent supervision of the swimmers by lifeguards
• (4) Lack of warning signs
• (5) Water rockslide pools do not providing proper rails or steps
• (6) Surfaces are not “non-skid” surfaces
• (7) Failure to mark the water depth so the unsuspecting swimmers will not know the accurate depth of the pool
• (8) Hidden danger of a commercial pool
• (9) Inadequate indicators of the pool’s depth
• (10) Murky water, making it difficult, if not nearly impossible, to see children in the deep end
• (11) Failure to repair the water pump system, keeping the pool properly clean

If you or a loved one is involved in a swimming pool drowning accident/death:

• Seek medical attention and CPR for the victim immediately;
• Insist that a report is filed by the police department or Sheriff’s Derpartment;
• Obtain essential information (i.e., name, address, insurance information, witness information of any and all persons involved in the accident);
• Photograph the accident scene as well as all of the surrounding area;
• Shut up!  Talk to no one about the accident other than your attorney, never to an insurance adjuster or insurance investigator.  Do not volunteer a statement to any insurance company;
• Sign absolutely nothing without consulting a lawyer;
• Keep a diary of your loved one’s recovery;
• Keep all receipts for all medical expenses and/or funeral bills and wage loss;
• Contact the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler an experienced law firm to protect your rights and preserve the evidence!

Demand accountability from those responsible for the swimming pool drowning accidents.  Many times the insurance companies will play “hardball” if you try to settle the case yourself or you have employed a lawyer who does not have the litigation experience to handle such a complex case,  We at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler have  over twenty years of litigation experience and know how to handle the insurance companies to your advantage.  We are prepared to front all costs required for the necessary investigation and expert witnesses needed to prepare your case for trial.

The laws regarding swimming pool drowning death cases are complex and include many facets of the law.  It is vital to surviving family members to seek the advice of an experienced swimming pool drowning lawyer such as Gary A Kessler at the Law Offices of Gary A Kessler to protect your rights and those of your loved ones.