SNHD responds to LVAC’s lawsuit over lifeguards at its pools

The sister of the woman who drowned at a Las Vegas Athletic Club pool has mixed feelings about a video of the incident being released to the public.

“I wonder why the LVAC doesn’t want it released, I mean what are they hiding?” asked Margaret Gonzales, of Henderson, who is the sister of Leticia Triplett, 58, who died on Feb. 4 in a pool at LVAC’s North Decatur location. “But it would be very difficult if the video got out. … It’s been really hard and everytime it’s mentioned on the news, it brings it all back up.”

Gonzales’ comments come after the Southern Nevada Health District’s response to a lawsuit filed by the athletic club challenging it decison to require fitness centers to have a lifeguard on duty when pools are open. In a new filing, SNHD is asking the court to let it enforce its ruling starting Aug. 12 and to allow the release of the video of the drowning incident. A media organization had requested the video be released.

In a ruling earlier this month, SNHD denied a LVAC appeal and mandated that pools at the fitness center’s gyms be monitored in person by lifeguards. Previously an exception allowed for these pools to be monitored remotely. The health district said a main reason for its ruling was Triplett’s death and other health violations that took place at remotely monitored pools across Southern Nevada.

Since 2020, there have been 29 pool closures at 21 gym pool locations because of rule violations at gyms pools that were remotely monitored, the SNHD said.

Gonzales declined to speak further about her sister, but an online obituary for Triplett said she was a 24-year Air Force veteran and worked a civilan job for 12 years at the Nellis Air Force Base. In addition to her career information the obituary said Triplett was a “beloved sister, mother, aunt, and friend.”

Is the video a medical record?

LVAC said in court documents it opposes releasing the video of the Feb. 4 incident since it includes private medical information and releasing the video would cause “irreparable harm” to the privacy of Triplett and her family as well as the privacy of other LVAC members.

The SNHD said in court documents the video isn’t a medical record but rather evidence in the lawsuit. The district also said that it’s sensitive to privacy concerns and would obscure faces in the video if it’s released. The SNHD said it won’t release the video until the court makes a decision on it.

A hearing on the release of the video should take place on July 23.

History of lifeguard ruling

LVAC was first granted an exception to have its pools monitored remotely in 2020 and several other gyms followed. But in March the SHND ended those exceptions saying there were too many violations found at remotely monitored gym pools.

Gyms either have to close their pools or submit a lifeguard plan to keep their pools open. EoS Fitness was also impacted by the end of the lifeguard exception and has hired lifeguards for four locations and closed pools at other locations.

Contact Sean Hemmersmeier at shemmersmeier@reviewjournal.com. Follow @seanhemmers34 on X.