LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Another person has nearly drowned at a Las Vegas Athletic Clubs location.
According to the Southern Nevada Health District, the incident happened on Oct. 6 at the location on Rainbow Boulevard.
A witness told investigators that when he walked into the spa/pool area, he saw a man who was making groaning noises and they "figured he was in pain and trying to hot tub it out."
The witness said they ignored the man for about 10 minutes but when they got out of the water and sat on the ledge of the hot tub, they looked over and "noticed that same guy had his head under water."
The witness and another man pulled the man out of the hot tub and went to the lobby to ask for help.
Documents state an LVAC staff member was asked to help and when they noticed the man was unresponsive, they called 911. The staff member started giving the man chest compressions and that he was "throwing up water from his nostrils and his mouth and coming back in conscious."
The man, who hasn't been publicly identified at the time of this report, was taken to the hospital to be treated.
When Health District staff arrived to inspect the premises, inspectors closed the spa due to low pH levels, high water temperatures, and low chlorine disinfectant. LVAC was also fined $1,778.
This is not the only incident like this to happen at an LVAC location this year.
On Feb. 4, 2024, a woman, later identified as Leticia Triplett, drowned in the pool after having a heart attack at the location near Decatur in the 215 and on Feb. 15, 2024, a customer was pulled unconscious from the pool at the Rainbow Boulevard location.
Triplett's family sued LVAC and accused the gym of negligence, leading to her death. Court records show a pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 4.
Incidents like these are why the Southern Nevada Health District decided to revoke a waiver that would allow gyms to operate pools without an in-person lifeguard.
"These waivers were not adequate to ensure the facilities were protecting the public after two serious incidents occurred, including death, and repeated failures by facilities to meet the requirements of the variance," district officials said in a statement from June.
LVAC lawyers have previously argued that LVAC's operations aren't defined as public swimming pools and that it would cost an extra $4 million an year in labor to staff lifeguards at all of their locations. If they wanted to eliminate the pools entirely, renovations would cost an estimated $7 million to $10 million per location.
On Oct. 2, the Health District approved LVAC's new plans for lifeguards at their gyms. LVAC pool facilities can reopen with the following conditions:
- All changes must be approved by the health authority prior to implementation
- A copy (paper or electronic) must be made available upon request
- Each permitted facility is required to have one announced audit by a contracted third-party lifeguarding company before Dec. 31, 2024, to validate the approved plan
- Two additional audits will be required for each facility by Oct 1, 2025. Three audits are required yearly after that for each facility. All audits must be submitted to SNHD upon completion.
- Monthly in-service training for lifeguard staff must be completed and documentation maintained available for review.
- Lifeguarding staff must be trained on and follow the lifeguard staffing plan.
- Lifeguard supervision must maintain active managerial control of on-duty lifeguards.
- Front desk staff and managers must monitor the live feed of the pool area on the monitor located at the front desk to ensure that customers do not go beyond the barrier and/or enter the pools.
- Front desk staff and managers must enforce pool closure hours and respond within 30 seconds if a customer goes beyond the barrier and/or enters the pools
As we have previously reported, LVAC locations were not the only ones affected by the lifeguard waiver.
Health District officials tells Channel 13 that Eōs has approved plans and lifeguards at four locations, which are currently operating.
- 4250 N. Scott Robinson Boulevard
- 3511 St. Rose Parkway
- 3325 E. Russell Road
- 8125 W. West Sahara Avenue, #100
UFC Fit has also completed its lifeguard plan, which Health District officials have reviewed.
At last check, 24-Hour Fitness has not submitted the requested revisions to its plan.
