Bystander Effect?: Las Vegas Woman Struggles for Extended Period Then Drowns In Pool as Gym Employees and Other Swimmers Are Oblivious to Her Floating Body, Video Shows

A woman drowned in a pool just four feet deep at a popular Las Vegas gym in February, and a shocking surveillance video of her death was recently released. The baffling footage shows Leticia Gonzales Triplett, 58, thrashing in the shallow pool and then later floating face down as gym-goers casually walk by.

Less than two weeks later, another swimmer at Las Vegas Athletic Club almost drowned, and health officials are demanding answers. If it weren’t for the Southern Nevada Health District, the tragic incident would have never come to light, and now the gym conglomerate — which has some 20,000 members — is battling a ruling to hire lifeguards.

The tragic incident occurred on the morning of Feb 4, when Triplett approached the pool area on crutches, according to health district reports. The 24-year Air Force veteran entered the water and attempted to swim laps, kicking her legs and grabbing the side, according to the redacted footage. After about 25 minutes of swimming, her head dipped underwater, and she began to struggle as she clung to the pool’s wall.

Triplett managed to pull herself over to the steps but could not keep her head above water, even as she held onto the handrail. Around 20 people were in the pool area during this time, and some walked past her into the pool and walked alongside her, oblivious to her duress, reported 8NewsNow .

Triplett eventually pushed off from the steps and then was shown on camera floating face down and motionless for about 10 minutes, with people appearing to see her body but not realizing anything was wrong.

Finally, a swimmer in an adjacent pool noticed, and others jumped into action, stated an SNHD investigative report. It was too late. Triplett was pronounced dead at the scene.

This incident and a second near-drowning ten days later prompted SNHD to change its rules regarding lifeguard requirements.

The health district had previously allowed some exemptions, and LVAC was one of the companies granted a variance that allowed “remote monitoring” of its pools by video camera. But now, all regional gym pools are required to have a lifeguard on duty.

Despite Triplett’s tragic death and the gym’s older clientele, the Las Vegas Athletic Club appealed the new ruling and is now suing the health district to keep its “no lifeguard” exemption.

The company claims that hiring lifeguards would simply cost too much money and be catastrophic to its business. Its solution is to station a lifeguard in a pool monitoring room that would have video surveillance and intercom communication with all seven locations.

But court documents via 8NewsNow show that LVAC has not been entirely above board with authorities regarding the circumstances of Triplett’s death. Gym management told a facility inspector on March 1 that employees had spotted the woman struggling in the pool and tried to help, but the recently released video disputes that claim.

LVAC’s attorney also claimed her death was due to a heart attack, but the County Coroner’s Office ruled the death as a drowning and accident, with obesity and cardiovascular disease as factors.

What’s more, LVAC didn’t report the death until Feb. 28, more than three weeks late.

Inspectors reportedly found several violations at the gym, including cameras not being properly monitored. Though the company is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau, more than 50 complaints have been lodged with the BBB through the years, including concerns over the lack of a lifeguard.

“I did ask if they have a lifeguard on duty to which the answer was no. And frankly, that is irresponsible considering the manner of business being engaged and the clientele so I will be forced to accompany my husband who is disabled when he uses the pool given my background in CPR/First Aid and Lifeguarding,” wrote one member . Another added, “Over half of the LVAC members who use the pool are elderly and or present with serious and obvious disabilities.”

The incident was so bizarre that 8NewsNow elicited opinion from Stephen Banning, a UNLV psychology associate professor.

Banning blamed several factors, including America’s culture that prioritizes individual freedom.

“When I look at video like this and think about what the experiences of people around in an individualistic culture like ours. There’s very much a sense of not wanting to mess with people or given their business.”

At another point, he blamed the Bystander Effect. “This might be a manifestation of a bystander effect, where people don’t understand what it is that they’re seeing,” he noted. “It is so unlikely that we would as people, imagine seeing others dying in a pool that we’re using, that it may not enter people’s mind that this is something that’s actually happening.”

Triplett carried out a tour of Afghanistan in 2008 and “received many medals and ribbons for her outstanding service,” stated her obituary. She leaves behind a son, a daughter, and five grandchildren.

Bystander Effect?: Las Vegas Woman Struggles for Extended Period Then Drowns In Pool as Gym Employees and Other Swimmers Are Oblivious to Her Floating Body, Video Shows