A lawsuit has surfaced with shocking allegations that a scuba diving school permitted instructors to let two students die annually, according to grieving parents whose young daughter lost her life during a lesson at the facility.
This startling accusation follows the tragic incident on August 16, 2025, when 12-year-old Dylan Harrison drowned while participating in a class at The Scuba Ranch, located near Terrell, Texas, just a short drive from Dallas.
Known affectionately as ‘Dillie Picklez’ by her family and friends, Harrison was enthusiastic about earning her National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) Open Water diving certification, aiming to join her relatives in the passion they shared for diving.
Tragically, her aspirations were cut short when she disappeared during a training session that summer day. Her body was later discovered 45 feet underwater, around 35 feet away from the training platform.
Her parents, Heather and Mitchell Harrison, have now filed a lawsuit on January 30, bringing to light troubling details about the instructions allegedly given by the scuba school owner to his employees regarding student safety.
The lawsuit contends that Joseph Johnson, owner of Scubatoys, a diving and certification outlet utilized by the Harrisons, was reportedly overheard boasting to a group of instructors that allowing two student fatalities annually would not impact the business negatively.
The unearthed footage, filmed in 2017 by an employee, captured a worker telling Johnson not to take lawsuits lightly.
Stunningly, Johnson appeared to have very little compassion over the statement, shrugging and telling his workers: ‘All I know is we’ve killed what, four people, five people, and we’ve never even done a deposition.
Dylan Harrison, 12, died on August 16, 2025, while attending a diving class at The Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas. Her parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit on January 30 against the companies responsible for her that day
Joseph Johnson, the owner of Scubatoys, was ‘seen bragging to a roomful of Scubatoys Instructors’ that two students were allowed to die each year and the business would ‘still be fine’
‘Our insurance company just settles. John Witherspoon said we can kill two people a year and we’ll be fine,’ Johnson added nonchalantly.
As he spoke, Rick Golden, the NAUI regional representative in charge of supervising Scubatoys, and Johnson’s wife, Sandy, a regional director with NASE, a scuba diving certification agency, stood beside him as he said that.
The 41-page wrongful death lawsuit said Harrison was ‘small in stature’, standing at 4’10” tall and 78lbs, but both the NAUI and Scubatoys assured her parents their child ‘could complete the course safely.’
Jonathan Roussel, a divemaster who was looking over Harrison during her lessons, even told them: ‘I will not take my eyes off your daughter.’
But that promise allegedly wasn’t kept after Harrison became separated from Roussel, her instructor, Bill Armstrong, and the seven other students, that tragic day.
Armstrong, who doubles as a Collin County Assistant Chief Deputy, then went to the training platform to search for her while Roussel ushered the other students to shore and ‘alerted a nearby group of divers that a student was missing,’ per the lawsuit.
Emergency personnel arrived at the scene around 10.30am, while additional divers at The Scuba Ranch got involved in the search.
Meanwhile, both Armstrong and Roussel ‘were seen leaving the area’ and ‘they were reportedly unhelpful in guiding the search’ for the little girl.
Harrison (pictured with her mother and father) was eager to get her National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) Open Water diving certification so she could join her family members in the underwater activity
Armstrong was also ‘bone dry’ when the search for Harrison began, Fox News previously reported.
Because of their alleged lack of concern, ‘the initial search was disorganized and inefficient, wasting valuable time,’ the legal filing detailed.
Soon after, a ‘proper search was initiated’, leading to the discovery of Harrison.
She was located underwater within seven minutes, and approximately 30 minutes after she was last seen alive, the lawsuit said.
Harrison was unresponsive with her nose bleeding at the bottom of the pool. Her regulator, a crucial tool all scuba divers need to use to breathe properly, ‘was out of her mouth’ as well, the filing stated.
The lawsuit noted that at the time of her recovery, her scuba tank had approximately 1,650 psi of air, meaning it was around 55 percent full.
After Harrison’s death, The Scuba Ranch released a statement stating the company was ‘heartbroken’ over the loss, and that as a result, Armstrong was ‘permanently suspended.’
Harrison’s instructor, Bill Armstrong, who doubles as a Collin County Assistant Chief Deputy, was ‘permanently suspended’ following her death
Harrison’s parents have demanded that The Scuba Ranch, Scubatoys, and its employees who were there when the tragic incident took place, pay an undisclosed amount in damages
‘Scubatoys was also suspended from training pending the results of this investigation,’ the company added.
Scubatoys officially closed its doors on January 31, a day after the lawsuit was filed.
‘After 28 years, this is the hardest announcement we’ve ever had to write. But we are regretfully having to close the doors as of January 31st,’ the diving shop wrote on its website.
Harrison’s parents have demanded that The Scuba Ranch, Scubatoys, and its employees who were there when the tragic incident took place pay an undisclosed amount in damages. They have also asked for a jury trial.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, a spokesperson with The Scuba Ranch said: ‘We have not been notified of a suit being filed.’
The Daily Mail also contacted Scubatoys and the Harrison’s lawyer for comment.
