A pool at a Hialeah apartment complex was drained Monday after three children were shocked as they swam on Sunday.
“When they grabbed on to the metal railing, that’s when they felt the shock and they were paralyzed,” said Mayra Diaz, a cousin of one of the victims.
Diaz said her cousins, Diego and Danniella, were just enjoying the day at the pool with other kids when they were hit with the jolt of electricity. The siblings and one other girl that lives in the complex were all rushed to the hospital.
“They were unconscious when they were outside the pool, except for my little cousin, the boy, he was doing just fine,” Diaz said.
The electrocution comes just two weeks after seven-year-old Calder Sloan died while swimming in a North Miami pool. Police believe Sloan may have electrocuted by a light that sent charges through the water.
Lt. Arnold Piedrahita with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said in the wake of the recent tragedies, it’s imperative for everyone to get their pools checked, including himself.
“If you came up to me and asked me is your pool completely safe, I couldn’t with 100 percent tell you yes,” Lt. Piedrahita said. “Therefore we emptied out our pool and we had an expert come and inspect our biggest concern, which was the pool light.”
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One sign there may be a problem with your light is a corroded electric cable.
“Older construction, you purchase a house, first thing you should do is check the plans, make sure you know when the pool was installed,” Lt. Piedrahita said.
It’s important to know the age of the pool because older pols have lights over 110 volts. If installed improperly the older lights can be deadly. In this Hialeah case, it’s still unknown how many volts the lights had, but all three children survived.
All three are still in the hospital and under observation.
