A neighborhood pool in Palo Alto is now at the center of a multimillion-dollar courtroom fight, after a father who went underwater during a weekend swim was later taken off life support. His family says the only lifeguard on duty that day was poorly trained, stuck on long shifts without breaks and even wearing jeans while supposed to be watching the water. The civil trial is expected to test how far a standard membership waiver can go in protecting a beloved local swim club from liability.
According to Palo Alto Daily Post, the wrongful-death suit filed by widow Anita Krishnakumar and the couple’s four children says 38-year-old Sumanth Kolar jumped off a diving board during a swim with his kids on Aug. 4, 2023, and then sank under the water. The complaint says 17-year-old lifeguard Brendan Ho pulled Kolar’s limp body from the pool with help, and that the rescue took between three and ten minutes. Kolar was later taken off life support. The Daily Post reports the case, filed in March 2024, is scheduled to go to trial next Monday in Santa Clara County.
Initial coverage at the time described emergency crews finding the swimmer at the bottom of the deep end and lifeguards and club members pulling him out, as reported then. Palo Alto Online quoted Palo Alto Fire Department officials saying there was no obvious head trauma and that rescuers immediately began life-saving efforts…