Las Vegas-area gym video surveillance shows swimmers exercising feet away as woman struggles, drowns

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A few feet away swimmers appeared to unknowingly cross past a woman who drowned in their gym pool, and video evidence provides more clarity on what exactly happened.

On Feb. 4, Letica Triplett, 58, entered the North Decatur Las Vegas Athletic Club’s (LVAC) pool for a morning exercise where she swam and kicked her legs while gripping the pool wall for nearly 25 minutes.

According to Oganna Brown, an attorney representing LVAC, Triplett arrived at the location in crutches before getting into the pool.

While gripping the wall Triplett appeared to stop kicking and immediately began to struggle as her head went underwater and she used the wall to make it to the pool stairs which were just feet away.

During the struggle multiple people are seen to swim near her and even walk alongside her as they enter the pool—Triplett appearing to fight for her life.

While at the pool stairs Triplett grabbed the handrails and struggled to lift herself up, but after falling deeper into the pool she appeared to struggle as her head went underwater.

Triplett appeared motionless in the pool after struggling for 10 minutes, other people walking by and swimming by her body with no indication they knew Triplett was unconscious.

Another 10 minutes go by as actively people walk by the edges of the pool some appearing to stop and look in the direction of Triplett’s body, but no one intervenes.

After a total of 20 minutes since signs of initial struggle a swimmer in an adjacent pool seems to stop swimming and look over to Triplett’s body.

The swimmer from the adjacent pool jumped in the pool where Triplett’s body was located and pulled her to the edge where a group of people gathered, all pulling her out.

The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) investigation report indicated an LVAC employee exited a nearby locker room and approached the members with Triplett’s body one minute later.

For three minutes members performed CPR before paramedics arrived. Triplett was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Brown characterized the event as unique in nature and cited the decades LVAC has operated without incident.

“In 46 years, there has not been a drowning event,” she said. “This is an anomaly, and this was not a direct drowning event. This was a cardiac arrest.”

However, the health district’s investigation found there was a near-drowning a few days following Triplett’s death.

Joel Henriod, an attorney representing SNHD, argued that LVAC customers should not have been the ones to pull Triplett out, and added that without a physical lifeguard, Triplett was swimming in unsafe conditions.

“If it’s not their job to be looking,” he said. “Unfortunately, you might as well be alone.”

8 News Now volunteered to redact the video evidence obtained by SNHD and for privacy reasons the faces of members and staff were censored.

8 News Now attempted to contact Triplett’s family but has been unsuccessful so far.

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