Elk vs. Pool. Judgment for Elk.

Denver television KDVR reports that a Colorado family, discovered a 1000 lb elk in the family pool after hearing the sound of heavy breathing from the back yard. The elk sustained no damage, but that can't be said for the diving board and liner.

I'm Stuck On You

The Orange County Register recently reported the case of a man who decided to use his body to test the effectiveness of a channel drain in the spa at his condominium. Guess what? He succeeded in entrapping himself onto the cover until the SVRS released the suction. Rumor has it that he will next test the effectiveness of seat belts (or the lack thereof) in high speed car crashes!

Investigator's Report Released in Toddler Entrapment

On August 25th I posted the story of an entrapment of a 3 year old girl in Key Biscayne, Florida. The Miami-Dade Health Department has released its invertigative findings below:
(Hint: Follow Link or Right Click to Enlarge Text)

MDCHD Investigation Key Colony Pool Entrapment Case

What a Stinky Mess!

On a Friday in June, our client drained a residential swimming pool to perform a routine acid wash. The home had been in foreclosure and the new purchaser wanted the pool to look great when she arrived with her four children the next day. Our service technician was not inexperienced with acid washing pools - he had performed many jobs like this in the past. As usual, he placed a submersible pump in the deep end and ran the discharge hose into the sewer clean-out in the back yard. What was different, however, was that this house was connected to a septic tank. The tank quickly filled and flooded the house with hundreds of gallons of "black water", a term used to describe waste water containing fecal matter and urine.

We soon received a telephone call from the purchaser who explained that she sold her prior home and had to move the next day. It would take at least a week to remove the bacteria laden water and disinfect the house but she had no place to live. This pool tech's error resulted in a claim of almost $20,000, which included living expenses for the family, who moved into a hotel during the restoration process.

It is common for water to back up into homes, even when pools are drained into sewer lines. We recommend that pools only be drained when the owner is home and can check for the first sign of an obstructed drain line. (We also advise against draining pools into septic tanks).