Drowning of Adult Swimmer at Local High School Swimming Pool

Date: Date of Incident: September 17, 2003

On September 17, 2003, 47-year-old John Doe entered the local High School swimming pool at approximately 8:30 p.m. for recreational swimming. John entered the water and began swimming laps along with five (5) other adult swimmers under the supervision of 1 lifeguard situated in an elevated lifeguard stand positioned at the corner of the deep end of the swimming pool.

John stopped swimming and became incapacitated and then submerged below the surface into the deep end of the pool at a depth of 12’ – 13’. The lifeguard admitted seeing John standing on the pool bottom and thought John was exercising by walking on the bottom of the pool. John was then observed lying motionless on the pool bottom by another swimmer who then notified the lifeguard.

The lifeguard entered the water and pulled John to the surface and to the pool side. With the assistance of other swimmers, the lifeguard removed John from the water, while another patron call 911. Upon removal from the water, John was assessed to be unresponsive, cyanotic, and in cardiac arrest. (Note: The fact that John was in cardiac arrest indicates his distress and/or submersion was minutes as cardiac arrest typically occurs several minutes after the cessation of respirations, unless the victim suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. The fact that John was cyanotic upon his removal from the water is also indicative of the fact that John had been in respiratory and/or cardiac arrest for several minutes).

The lifeguard retrieved her Personal Resuscitation Mask and Basic Life Support CPR was initiated and administered by pool patrons. The facility did not have any oxygen administration equipment available, nor was there an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) available for use during the emergency resuscitation efforts on the side of the pool while waiting for the arrival of Police or EMS units.

The municipal Police, as well as basic and an advanced life support EMS units were dispatched at 9:05 p.m. and arrived on the scene at 9:11 p.m. BLS efforts were continued, ALS was initiated, and John was then transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital.

John was pronounced dead at 10:04 p.m., 17 minutes after his arrival at the hospital.

The photos shown are not the photos of this incident, but rather are photos provided by Poseidon Technologies to depict the incident described herein.