Estate of Richard Parsons v. Splashdown Country Waterpark & Campground
On Sunday, July 21, 2012 at approximately 1:43 PM, EMS dispatch was notified of an emergency at the Splashdown Country Waterpark & Campground located at 6173 Rt. 327 in Jackson, Ohio. The emergency dispatcher was advised by the caller of a medical emergency for a patient with chest pain, discomfort, and heart problems.
Author: Gerald M. Dworkin
Date: July 16, 2015
On Sunday, July 21, 2012 at approximately 1:43 PM, EMS dispatch was notified of an emergency at the Splashdown Country Waterpark & Campground located at 6173 Rt. 327 in Jackson, Ohio. The emergency dispatcher was advised by the caller of a medical emergency for a patient with chest pain, discomfort, and heart problems.
Based on the information provided the dispatcher, Jackson County EMS was dispatched at 1:43 PM for a “possible cardiac condition with syncope.” En-route to the scene, they were advised by Robert Swank, a Splashdown Waterpark employee, the patient was unresponsive and CPR was being performed. Upon their arrival on the scene at 1:49 PM they observed an adult male lying supine with CPR being performed by a nurse and Splashdown employee, Robert Swank.
During the resuscitation incident, prior to the arrival of EMS, no oxygen was administered, no airway adjuncts were utilized to maintain a patent airway, positive pressure ventilation was provided intermittently via a Personal Resuscitation Mask, and no AED was available.
According to their website, Splashdown Country is located on a beautiful 85 acre country setting. The park includes an 850’ Lazy River; a 14,000 sq. ft. Kiddie Pool with 5 slides, raining umbrellas and a tipping bucket; a Lilly Pad pool; and several winding slides.
Their website advertises that Lifeguards are on duty and the park is open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The entry fee is $17.95 (over 42” tall) and $14.95 (under 42” tall).
According to Splashdown Country Waterpark records, there were approximately 176 guests utilizing the facility at the time of the incident.
Incident
This was the Parson family’s first visit to Splashdown Country Waterpark. The family stopped at the waterpark on their way back from Camden Park in Huntington, West Virginia. Earlier that morning, they went out to breakfast after packing their vehicle and then headed home. While traveling back home, they decided to stop at Splashdown. The family had arrived at the park at approximately 12:50 PM and were at the park approximately 15 – 20 minutes prior to the incident. Amanda Sue Kennedy had made the observation that the waterpark was crowded.
That morning, Richard had complained of a headache on the way to Splashdown. His wife, Amanda, gave him some Ibuprofen that she had with her.
Upon arriving at the waterpark, Richard and his family set up in the grassy area approximately five to 10 feet behind a lifeguard stand. There was a female lifeguard in the chair at the time.
As Amanda “reached for the camcorder bag to take a few pictures of Aniah (Amanda’s daughter)…I heard Dicky say, “Mandy, help me.” According to Amanda, “I turned around and seen him slumped over … laying on his side, his right side. And I grabbed him and pushed him by his left shoulder and tried to roll him over, and looked at his face…. He was struggling to breathe.
Amanda immediately called for a lifeguard. According to Amanda, the lifeguard “come down off the lifeguard stand, and she knelt down beside me in front of Dicky.” The lifeguard then instructed Amanda to run to the nurse’s station “and she pointed in the direction that I’d come in.”
Amanda then ran to where she thought she was directed, jumping over several white chairs on the way. She then “ran to a building and slung the door open and ran in. And I told somebody to call 911.”
However, Amanda realized she was in the wrong building. She then ran out of that building and ran down to the next building. Upon entering the second building she hollered for someone to call 911 and she told the woman there was a “possible heart attack.”
Amanda then ran back to Dicky and “when I got back, Aniah was standing beside Dicky and screaming, and Kylie had a hold of her. And Dicky was turning blue.” Although the lifeguard was besides Dicky, she hadn’t administered any care, even though Dicky was becoming cyanotic. She estimates the time of three to four minutes from the time she left Dicky’s side until she returned. According to Amanda, when she returned to Dicky’s side, “the girl (lifeguard) that was there when I left to go call for help was just kneeling on his side… She wasn’t touching him.”
Another guest who had been in the water identified herself as a nurse and then started to perform CPR. Another individual (employee) came to the scene with a “bag to start mouth and mouth” while the nurse continued to perform chest compressions. But, because Dicky was turning blue, she said, “I’ll just do it myself” as she then performed positive pressure ventilation on Dicky while the nurse continued to administer chest compressions.
EMS Response
Upon arrival of EMS, 6-minutes after dispatch, CPR was in progress by a nurse and former paramedic. The patient was placed on a cardiac monitor and the patient was assessed to be in V-Fib. CPR was continued while the defibrillator was being prepared. The patient was shocked twice with a conversion to asystole after the second shock. CPR was continued as the patient was transferred to the squad.
A #4 King Airway was inserted and an I.V. was established. Advanced Cardiac Life Support measures were administered, including the administration of Epinephrine. The patient was intubated and then transported at 2:13 PM to Holzer Medical Center in Jackson with an arrival time at the hospital of 2:21 PM. After Richard was stabilized at Holzer Medical Center he was then flown to Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus.
Richard was maintained on life support until July 23 at which time he was removed from life support. Richard passed away on the July 24.