Distracted lifeguards chatted as boy drowned at Whitlam Leisure Centre, inquest finds
A coroner investigating the drowning of a 13-year-old at Whitlam Leisure Centre in Liverpool found that the pool ‘was not subject to ... proper supervision by the lifeguards on duty’.
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While three lifeguards engaged in casual chit chat, 13-year-old Harry Nguyen thrashed in the water for two minutes, and then sank below the surface for another seven.
By the time he was resuscitated, he had sustained brain damage that was “not survivable”.
A Coroners Court inquest has since looked into the events that led to Harry’s death three years ago. Deputy State Coroner Elaine Truscott found the lifeguards had failed in their duties during the hearing on October 4, 2019.
“The Whitlam Leisure Centre outdoor swimming pool...was not subject to adequate or proper supervision by the lifeguards on duty,” she said in her findings.
Then she offered her condolences to Harry’s mother, father, sister and family friend, who sat motionless in the gallery.
“You will forever be dealing with the loss of your beautiful boy, Harry,” she said.
During the inquest, the court heard how Harry, a Year 8 student from Canley Vale High School, had wanted to become a school teacher when he grew up.
Harry’s father Long Lau said the court’s findings brought the family some closure.
“The family would like to show appreciation to our coroner officer, police and everyone who helped find out the reason why Harry passed away,” he said, with the help of a translator.
“Compared to before, they didn’t know what really happened over there. Now we know the reason why this happened. It helps a lot.”
YMCA NSW, the group managing Whitlam Leisure Centre, said a thorough review of its practices have been undertaken since Harry’s death.
“We have sought to strengthen our vigilance and enhance all aspects of aquatic operations,” Lisa Giocomelli said, the group’s chief operating officer.
“We appreciate the importance of Harry’s inquest and are deeply committed to working with the coroner to assist in any way we can.”
It was a quiet day at Whitlam Leisure Centre when Harry and two friends decided to go swimming on March 20, 2016.
Harry, who was diagnosed with asthma when he was a few months old, was not a strong swimmer. As he struggled to swim across a 1.8 metre deep pool, three lifeguards – aged 19, 19 and 25 – were talking for half-an-hour.
CCTV footage showed Harry “bobbing and waving his arms about but not being able to reach the pool’s edge” from 1.52pm to 1.54pm, the inquest found. Then he sank below the surface until 2.01pm.
Pawel Walczak was with his son and young grandson when he dived into the 50 metre pool. He saw Harry touching the floor and pulled him out of the water, yelling to catch the attention of the lifeguards.
Paramedics were able to resuscitate him at 2.15pm, but despite comprehensive treatment, his hypoxic brain damage was “not survivable”.
Eleven days later, after the family held Buddhist ceremonies, Harry’s life support was terminated. He was an organ donor.
Deputy Coroner Truscott made seven recommendations to YMCA NSW.
They include the creation of new policies to improve lifeguard supervision, make weak swimmers over the age of five wear wristbands to indicate they need careful supervision, and engage the RLSSA mystery shopper program to assess lifeguard performance.
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She also recommended Liverpool City Council make the RLSSA program an essential term in its management contract with the club.
Liverpool City Council has been working with Royal Life Saving Australia to bolster its lifeguard practices.
“Council introduced a program of un-announced inspections of lifeguard supervision practice (a mystery shopper program) in August as part of a comprehensive review of lifeguarding practices at our Aquatic Centres,” Kiersten Fishburn said, chief executive of Liverpool City Council.
“(We have) worked with our new management contractor to make significant operational changes to enhance lifeguard safety practices. (We’ve) engaged Royal Life Saving Australia to undertake a full review of these changes and implement inspections of lifeguard supervision practice.”