Walter and Jamie Kealoha filed a gross negligence lawsuit against USA Swimming, Kamehameha Swim Club, and the Kapolei Aquatic Center after their daughter tragically drowned at a swim meet.
Tehani Kealoha, 17, was swimming warm-down laps after a race in May 2023 when she suffered symptoms of cardiac arrest. Her mother, Jamie, was assisting timers on deck when she saw her daughter being pulled out of the water by another swimmer. Nobody knew what to do, Jamie said, and she began performing CPR on her daughter.
“You know, I remember, kneeling down and telling her to open her eyes, telling her to wake up, you know, not just not knowing what was happening,” Jamie recounted in a press meeting.
The family’s attorney, Robert Miyashita, said there was no lifeguard on duty or safety plan in place for the meet. With video evidence, court documents allege that no CPR was initiated for the first five minutes, and that it took seven minutes to find the facility’s AED. Tehani was unable to be saved.
The lawsuit argues that Tehani’s death was preventable. It mentions that Tehani’s twin brother, Dustin, went into cardiac arrest while swimming three months later at a different pool. He reportedly had the same genetic defect that his sister had. Lifeguards and EMTs were able to save him.
“It was a group effort that saved Dustin,” Miyashita told the press. “Unfortunately, Tehani didn’t have a chance.”
Tehani’s death occurred days before her graduation. She was a valedictorian at Moanalua High School as well as a musician and dancer.
“Every time I hear music that we listened to, I get emotional, no matter where I am,” Walter said in an interview with Yahoo.
The family and Miyashita met with the press earlier this month. They said they seek damages and want sports leagues to have better protocols for cardiac emergencies.
Defendants have not responded to press questions.
This is horrible. I can not fathom no one in a crowd of a swim meet could not immediately do CPR. If not the lifeguards or coaches, I’m shocked that there was no medical personnel (MD, RN, Paramedic, Fireman) at the meet. Add the fact that the AED is not easily obtained this is gross negligence.
A lawsuit allows this not to be swept under the rug and increases the chance that change will happen. As a parent this would be the reason I would sue so no other parent would have to suffer the same agony that our family suffered. I made each of my kids become certified (and refresher classes) in CPR because of the increased likelihood… Read more »
Unfortunately operating with bare minimum has become too commonplace in America
That’s terrible. I’m so sorry the family had to go through this.
I don’t understand the lax safety protocols. Here, (Ottawa, Canada) a full contingent of trained lifeguards are required at every function at the pool. On top of that, almost every coach that is certified to be on deck with levels 1,2,3 or diploma coaches training also has the same training as the lifeguards. National lifeguard and first aid/CPR courses on top of that. We must recert every two years or we can’t be on deck at meets or practice without a lifeguard.
My kids swim in a “USA Swim” team in TX and it is same. Lifeguards everywhere and all coaches are required to be current on lifeguard training themselves
Unfortunately it happens in Canada as well. We had a meet in Toronto and coach was the one who noticed that a girl is drowning. He jumped in, pulled her out and performed CPR ,lifeguards stood confused.
This is a terrible loss for her family and those close to her. It will be good that this will be litigated to see if there are things that can be done to reduce the chance of something like this happening in the future.
Also, I think this is the same pool where Mark Shubert’s Podium Swim trained.
Wait I don’t understand, the girl’s twin brother nearly drowned 3 months AFTER her tragic death of the exact same issue ?
I don’t know if I could have swum so soon after a sibling’s drowning, it’s very traumatic
she didn’t drown …. that was not cause of death and was never stated as such.
You are 100% right, I phrased that poorly
It literally states drowning below the picture
Holy crap, I thought the twin brother’s incident was before the girl’s but it was after. Wow
I’m confused by that, too. My assumption is they didn’t realize either of them had a genetic defect until after the brother’s incident but… seems like that would’ve been worth figuring out right after the sister died.
They’re twins, so prolly pretty likely that if one had a thing, the other would, too. Like maybe results just didn’t come back in time or something, otherwise that seems like a wild oversight
Although a complete and devastating tragedy, the entire legalese here is confusing.
What USA Team has coaches that are NOT certified lifeguards and can run a sanctioned event? To put on a sanctioned meet requires so many check marks, if this meet were sanctioned while knowing no coaches were certified then that really is a USA SWIMMING issue, probably an LSC issue too, but on a micro level it’s definitely a facility issue. Ive been to meets where big name coaches weren’t even allowed on the deck because their USA Credentials had expired and they’re yelling to their assistant coaches.
There are actually so many questions to this lawsuit than there are answers.
I feel this in my heart 🥺 I am so sorry for your loss. That is so sad that there weren’t people there ready to help. I’m proud of the swimmer who pulled her out. May she go to heaven. 💔
Feel terrible for the family. Absolutely tragic but I see a proximate cause problem with the lawsuit, especially as to USA Swimming.
I’ve been told that a lot of coaches in USA Swimming that have their CPR, Safety Training, First Aid, etc., fast tracked or just put on some list (without actually taking the course) by friends that are Red Cross instructors. This family’s legal counsel needs to look into how the coaches and lifeguards were certified and subpoena the instructor.
Bingo! This right here.
I was working at a health club as the new HC of the USA Club team and needed to recert and the LGI said to me “oh don’t worry, you’re all set, I signed off on your cert already” I said “what??!” Apparently this is just the way this place did things. I was flabbergasted. I ended up going to the local Y to recert.
It happens all the time unfortunately. I’d rather fail my recert than never have taken it because when something like this happens at the very least you’ll be prepared as opposed to panicking in the moment.
It’s true.