LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – It took gym staff about 20 minutes to realize a customer had drowned in their pool, but records obtained by 8 News Now show it took 24 days for the distress call to reach health department officials.
Pools at gyms in Las Vegas have been exempt from lifeguard requirements starting in 2020, following a request from the Las Vegas Athletic Club (LVAC) to the Southern Nevada Health Department (SNHD).
Fatal pool accident upends Southern Nevada lifeguard policy
The exemption came with the proviso that gym staff would still be required to monitor the pool through a video camera system.
However, health district records obtained by 8 News Now show LVAC's pool was closed multiple times due to lack of staff oversight via the front desk video surveillance system.
SNHD: Surveillance video deleted
According to video obtained by the health department, on the morning of Feb. 4, Leticia Triplett, 58, grabbed the edge of the pool and began to swim while continuously kicking her feet.
The video shows the triplets were exercising without issue for nearly 30 minutes in the pool on North Decatur Boulevard before they began to show signs of distress.
At 8:49 a.m., Triplett began kicking his legs erratically and gripping the edge of the pool with one hand, the video showed.
According to the video, none of the LVAC personnel seemed to notice the problem in the pool, which resulted in Triplett struggling to keep his head above water for nearly 10 minutes.
At 8:58 a.m., security cameras showed the triplets floating motionless with their heads submerged in the water, but staff didn't appear to notice anything wrong for about 10 minutes.
According to security camera footage, at 9:07 a.m., a swimmer in the adjacent pool noticed Triplett was motionless and entered the pool.
According to the video, patrons pulled Triplett from the pool and immediately began CPR, and the first LVAC staff member emerged from a nearby locker room a few minutes later and appeared to notice the commotion.
About 20 minutes passed before LVAC staff appeared to notice a problem with Triplett, according to security camera footage.
At 9:11 a.m., the LVAC club manager was seen on security camera footage using an AED device, but the manager stated that Triplett had no pulse.
Triplett was pronounced dead by paramedics in the gym's pool at 9:13 a.m., according to documents.
Health district officials wrote in their report that it took 24 days for LVAC staff to notify the health department of the events surrounding Triplett's death.
Pools at gyms in Las Vegas are exempt from lifeguard mandates starting in 2020, at the request of the Las Vegas Athletic Club (LVAC) and the Southern Nevada Health Department (SNHD). (KLAS)
SNHD Environmental Health Director Christopher Saxton wrote in the report that health district inspectors noticed several violations and discovered security camera footage had been deleted days after Triplett died at the same gym.
“LVAC's failure to notify the Health Department impeded the Health Department's investigation,” Saxton wrote, “and resulted in the deletion of important evidence, specifically video surveillance at the front desk, which was supposed to have dedicated staff monitoring the camera footage at all times.”
During the health department's investigation, LVAC personnel stated they saw Triplett in distress, responded, pulled him from the water and performed a rescue, but these statements were found to be inaccurate.
According to reports, it took 24 days for LVAC to notify health officials that Triplett had died in the pool, during which time another LVAC client had nearly drowned but the staff was unaware of it.
Report: Another “incident”
According to a report obtained by 8 News Now, on Feb. 15, an unnamed customer was swimming in the pool at the LVAC North Rainbow store when he nearly drowned.
Health department records show the distressed customer was pulled from the water by a customer, not an LVAC employee.
According to reports, customers called emergency services and notified the gym's front desk, but no information was provided to indicate whether LVAC staff witnessed or responded to the incident.
According to SNHD, on Feb. 28, health district officials became aware of the incidents at both LVAC facilities and began investigating.
“Financial collapse”
On June 3, LVAC Chairman Chad Smith answered questions from SNHD investigators and Saxton about the two incidents, according to the health district report.
The meeting came following SNHD's revocation of the lifeguard exemption and an appeal from LVAC, with Saxton pointing to the gym's arguments challenging the health district's decision.
“[LVAC] “We do not dispute the Health Department's findings that LVAC failed to prevent public health and safety issues at the pool,” he wrote.
According to SNHD documents, LVAC argued that the gym's pool was not public and that their business was a “private club” and that the “health department had no jurisdiction over the pool.” Saxton denied both claims.
According to health department documents, Smith said adding lifeguards to each facility would mean a minimum pay increase of $157,680 per month and would lead to “financial ruin” for the gyms.
Saxton wrote that Smith did not know or could not estimate LVAC's total payroll.
The health district eventually obtained revenue estimates from LVAC that seemed to contradict the findings of the investigation, including concerns about financial difficulties and imminent bankruptcy.
“In any event,” Saxton wrote, “LVAC did not provide sufficient context to give meaning to the limited information presented.”
Unreported incidents
The health department report said many more cases may have occurred at other LVAC facilities and gone unreported.
“Furthermore, Smith did not initially mention until asked about any incidents at LVAC that had not been reported to the Health Department,” Saxton wrote.
Smith was also asked about other water rescues in LVAC's history, according to the report.
“Has anyone ever needed help from other members at the pool?… Yes, they have,” Smith reportedly replied.
Saxton also wrote that Smith was asked how the new alternative lifeguard offer would have changed the outcome of the case involving Triplett, but on the advice of his attorney, Smith declined to answer.
The health district's report concluded that LVAC had not presented sufficient evidence to operate the facility without lifeguards and continued its decision to revoke the lifeguard exemption.
“This incident demonstrates that simply looking at a screen is no substitute for a lifeguard who can walk to the scene and quickly assess a situation face-to-face,” he wrote.
