By Will Baxley on SwimSwam
Walter and Jamie Kealoha filed a gross negligence lawsuit against USA Swimming, Kamehameha Swim Club, and the Kapolei Aquatic Center after their daughter tragically drowned at a swim meet.
Tehani Kealoha, 17, was swimming warm-down laps after a race in May 2023 when she suffered symptoms of cardiac arrest. Her mother, Jamie, was assisting timers on deck when she saw her daughter being pulled out of the water by another swimmer. Nobody knew what to do, Jamie said, and she began performing CPR on her daughter.
“You know, I remember, kneeling down and telling her to open her eyes, telling her to wake up, you know, not just not knowing what was happening,” Jamie recounted in a press meeting.
The family’s attorney, Robert Miyashita, said there was no lifeguard on duty or safety plan in place for the meet. With video evidence, court documents allege that no CPR was initiated for the first five minutes, and that it took seven minutes to find the facility’s AED. Tehani was unable to be saved.
The lawsuit argues that Tehani’s death was preventable. It mentions that Tehani’s twin brother, Dustin, went into cardiac arrest while swimming three months later at a different pool. He reportedly had the same genetic defect that his sister had. Lifeguards and EMTs were able to save him.
“It was a group effort that saved Dustin,” Miyashita told the press. “Unfortunately, Tehani didn’t have a chance.”
Tehani’s death occurred days before her graduation. She was a valedictorian at Moanalua High School as well as a musician and dancer.
“Every time I hear music that we listened to, I get emotional, no matter where I am,” Walter said in an interview with Yahoo.
The family and Miyashita met with the press earlier this month. They said they seek damages and want sports leagues to have better protocols for cardiac emergencies.
Defendants have not responded to press questions.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Hawaii Family Sues USA Swimming, Local Pool, and Swim Club Over Daughter’s Drowning
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