Drowning

The family of a man who drowned at the Suncor Community Leisure Centre filed a lawsuit, alleging lifeguards neglected to adequately supervise.

National and provincial standards say repetitive breath-holding may be permitted in public pools, but they must be under the direct supervision of a qualified instructor or coach. “Repetitive breath-holding, prolonged breath-holding and prolonged underwater swimming is not permitted by the general public pool user.” A statement from The Lifesaving Society’s Alberta Public Pool Safety Standards recommends all public aquatic facilities develop a policy to restrict repetitive breath-holding activities. The statement of claim says the operators of the pool failed to develop a policy concerning repetitive breath-holding exercises, citing the Alberta Public Swimming Pools Regulation. In a statement, the defence argued “They met and exceeded any such duty of care at all material times.” In a statement of claim filed by the family of Dumitru Serbulenco, on Dec.