The pool had a unique feature that created a funnel – an invisible undertow – that created a "death trap for children," Maegan Bridwell, a drowning victim attorney with The Haggard Law Firm said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – “No family should ever have to plan a funeral after vacation.”

That’s what mother, Victoria Chen, said at a Nov. 13 press conference almost one year after her daughter, Mia, drowned in an Orlando hotel pool while the family was on vacation and later died. 

Now, the family plans to file a lawsuit against anyone involved in the safety – or lack thereof – of the pool at Orlando’s Crowne Royal Plaza hotel. 

Mia Xu, 6, died four days after she drowned in an Orlando pool on Dec. 27, 2024.

The backstory:

Mia Xu, 6, drowned in a pool at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Orlando on Dec. 27, 2024. The family, who traveled from North Carolina, checked into the hotel for vacation when Mia and her seven-year-old sister asked their dad to take them to the pool, a press release said. 

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The girls and their father went to the pool around 7:30 p.m., while Chen stayed in the lobby to finalize park reservations.  The pool was open until 11 p.m. 

The girls played in the pool with other kids. 

Mia Xu, 6, died four days after she drowned in an Orlando pool on Dec. 27, 2024. She was a talented dancer, her mother said. 

Five minutes later, the eldest daughter told her dad – who was sitting 10 feet away watching them – that Mia was stuck at the bottom of the pool. 911 was called. The father jumped to save Mia, and she was transported to the hospital for treatment.

The family’s attorney, Michael Haggard with The Haggard Law Firm, said Mia was treated for four days for a brain injury and later died. 

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Victoria Chen spoke at a Nov. 13 press conference about her daughter Mia’s drowning at an Orlando pool on Dec. 27, 2024. 

‘This is a failure of the system’ 

“My daughter Mia was only six years old when she drowned in the hotel pool with no lifeguard, no camera, no warning signs and poor lighting,” Chen said. “I trust that place to be safe for families, but it was not, and now my daughter is gone forever.” 

According to state-by-state drowning deaths data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida is among South Carolina, Alaska, Oregon and other states with the highest drowning death rate. 

“This is not just a family tragedy, this is a failure of the system,” the mother said. 

Chen called her daughter’s death preventable. 

She wants other children to be protected. 

“I choose to fight for change. For Mia, and for every child who still plays by the water,” Chen said. 

Attorney Michael Haggard spoke at a Nov. 13 press conference about the drowning death of six-year-old Mia Xu. 

‘No pool safety measures’

Haggard said the pool has a sign saying an attendant should be there, but there wasn’t one at the time of the incident.  

The pool also had “dangerous” features, including a slide, waterfall and two unique features, Haggard said. 

Haggard said water features cause problems that make the water cloudy and can cause circulation issues. 

“Kids who are six and seven years old – who might be able to swim under normal conditions – can have problems,” Haggard said. 

Mia Xu, 6, died four days after she drowned in an Orlando pool on Dec. 27, 2024.

The pool had a unique feature that created a funnel – an invisible undertow – that created a “death trap for children,” Maegan Bridwell, a drowning victim attorney with The Haggard Law Firm said. 

The pool had a host of local and state-wide safety violations, Bridwell said. The law firm is currently looking into past inspections involving Crowne Royal Plaza’s pool, which will “undoubtedly show that there are multiple violations at this pool,” she said. 

Anyone who had involvement with maintaining the safety – or lack thereof – of the pool will be sued, Bridwell said. 

“Because (Florida) doesn’t have a code requirement to have a lifeguard, hotels do it on the cheap – and they don’t have anyone there – and you have tragedies like this occur,” Haggard said. 

No Florida statutes for pool water features

Haggard said there aren’t any Florida statutes dealing with water features in pools. When slides or waterfalls are added to a pool, the pool starts to change, becoming “ocean-like,” he said. 

He wants Florida’s laws to reflect the industry’s standards on pool features, he said. 

“We need further legislation on that,” Haggard said. 

The Source: Information in this story was sourced from a press release from the Xu family’s attorney and a Nov. 13 press conference. 

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