LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — For the second time this year, gym members pulled a near-drowning victim out of the water inside a Las Vegas Athletic Club (LVAC). The health district has forced closures due to high temperatures among other findings.
On Oct. 6, an unnamed gym member at the LVAC location near North Rainbow and West Lake Mead boulevards witnessed a man groaning in a hot tub, according to a memo within a Southern Nevada Health District report.
“I figured he was in pain and trying to hot tub it out,” the unnamed witness wrote in the memo. “I ignored him for about 10 minutes and got focused on myself.”
The unnamed witness reported he got out of the pool, sat on a ledge of the hot tub, and noticed something was wrong—he wasn’t the only one.
“I looked over and noticed that same guy had his head underwater as another guy watched he noticed too,” he wrote. “About five seconds passed and he didn’t come up, so I approached him and tapped on the shoulder, and he was unresponsive.”
The two unnamed witnesses then looked at each other and pulled the unconscious man out of the hot tub, before one went to alert LVAC staff. The other unnamed witness started chest compressions.
“I was in the office when I heard a member [say], ‘There’s someone that needs help in the pool area I ran over there and saw the member [redacted] laying on his back by the [hot tub],” an LVAC staff member wrote in an incident statement. “He looked very pale I noticed that he wasn’t responding to anything. [I] yelled ‘call 911’ and started giving him chest compressions.”
A defibrillator was brought in while chest compressions were administered by the LVAC staff member until the near drowning victim coughed up water, regaining consciousness. According to the health district report the man was taken by ambulance to a Las Vegas-area hospital.
Two hours after the incident, the health district began a post incident investigation. They reportedly found multiple “imminent health hazards” with the hot tub including low pH levels, high water temperatures, and low chlorine disinfectant.
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Two hours after the incident, the health district began a post incident investigation. They reportedly found multiple “imminent health hazards” with the hot tub including low pH levels, high water temperatures, and low chlorine disinfectant. (SNHD) -
Two hours after the incident, the health district began a post incident investigation. They reportedly found multiple “imminent health hazards” with the hot tub including low pH levels, high water temperatures, and low chlorine disinfectant. (SNHD) -
Two hours after the incident, the health district began a post incident investigation. They reportedly found multiple “imminent health hazards” with the hot tub including low pH levels, high water temperatures, and low chlorine disinfectant. (SNHD) -
Two hours after the incident, the health district began a post incident investigation. They reportedly found multiple “imminent health hazards” with the hot tub including low pH levels, high water temperatures, and low chlorine disinfectant. (SNHD) -
Two hours after the incident, the health district began a post incident investigation. They reportedly found multiple “imminent health hazards” with the hot tub including low pH levels, high water temperatures, and low chlorine disinfectant. (SNHD)
Health district staff shuttered the LVAC hot tub and imposed $1,778 in fees. The hot tub was reopened two days later, once it met the health district’s standards.
8 News Now asked if the health district acquired any video evidence of the near drowning. The health district replied they did not, explaining cameras did not capture the incident unfolding since they are separate from the pool area. An LVAC site map from the North Rainbow location indicated the hot tub is in the same room as the two swimming pools but does not show camera locations.
Lifeguards were not observed to have been in the pool area at the time of the near-drowning incident, according to the health district. However, the new lifeguard plan for LVAC was recently approved on Sept. 30, only days before the Oct. 6 near drowning incident.
A previous near drowning incident was reported to the health district in February. Investigators concluded dedicated cameras for the pool area were not being properly monitored. The LVAC failed to notify the health district about the February near drowning, according to the report.
The LVAC has posted new lifeguard openings following a lengthy court battle. The health district revoked a previous lifeguard waiver earlier this year, following a woman’s fatal drowning at the N. Decatur LVAC location.
8 News Now requested a statement from LVAC via email regarding the recent near drowning incident. The company has not replied yet to our request for comment.
