A distressing video captured the moment 58-year-old Letica Triplett drowned in the pool at the North Decatur Las Vegas Athletic Club (LVAC) on February 4, despite being surrounded by other swimmers and passersby.
Triplett, who arrived at the gym on crutches, entered the pool for her morning exercise. For nearly 25 minutes, she swam and kicked while holding onto the pool wall. The footage shows Triplett struggling and eventually becoming motionless in the water, unnoticed by those nearby.
Attorney Oganna Brown, representing LVAC, mentioned that Triplett had a cardiac arrest, not a direct drowning, and emphasized the club's 46-year incident-free history. However, an investigation by the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) revealed there was a near-drowning incident shortly after Triplett's death.
The video shows multiple people swimming and walking near Triplett as she struggled to lift herself up the pool stairs, eventually sinking deeper into the pool. For 20 minutes, swimmers and passersby failed to intervene until one swimmer finally pulled her to the edge, where bystanders attempted CPR before paramedics arrived. Unfortunately, Triplett was pronounced dead shortly after.
Attorney Joel Henriod, representing SNHD, argued that LVAC customers should not have been responsible for rescuing Triplett and highlighted the dangers of swimming without a lifeguard present.
Attempts to contact Triplett's family by Nexstar’s KLAS have been unsuccessful.
For more details, watch the video [here].
