Iowa to Pay Army $750K for Drowning Child’s Care

The state of Iowa will pay the Army $750,000 for the medical care of a boy who died after nearly drowning during a university-operated camp in Germany.

The State Appeal Board on Monday approved the settlement with the Army, which had been seeking $1.8 million reimbursement for the cost of treating Blake Jermon.

Jermon was 10 when he nearly drowned in 2003 at a municipal swimming pool during an outing with Camp Adventure, a University of Northern Iowa program for the children of U.S. military personnel. His mother was an Army sergeant in Germany.

Jermon suffered brain and spinal injuries and had to use a wheelchair. He died from complications during a 2006 surgery.

The state in 2012 paid a $2.1 million settlement to Jermon’s mother, following years of litigation.