Family of SWW Alumna Demands Answers from DPR as Lifeguard Lies in Hospital

[Anonymous]

From the article: https://www.washingtoninformer.com/dpr-lifeguard-staffing-incident-jazmin-jefferson/

More than a week after suffering a medical emergency and falling into the pool at the Roosevelt Aquatic Center, Jazmin Jefferson is in critical condition at Howard University Hospital with what family members describe as substantial brain damage.
...

Jefferson, a fifth-generation Washingtonian and alumna of School Without Walls in Northwest, was in her third year of employment as a D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) lifeguard.

Basically they understaffed the pool and she fell in for 10 minutes before someone finally found her. A real shame to hear, and goes to show the state of our public services.

[Anonymous]

That's horrible. Poor girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From the article: https://www.washingtoninformer.com/dpr-lifeguard-staffing-incident-jazmin-jefferson/

More than a week after suffering a medical emergency and falling into the pool at the Roosevelt Aquatic Center, Jazmin Jefferson is in critical condition at Howard University Hospital with what family members describe as substantial brain damage.
...

Jefferson, a fifth-generation Washingtonian and alumna of School Without Walls in Northwest, was in her third year of employment as a D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) lifeguard.

Basically they understaffed the pool and she fell in for 10 minutes before someone finally found her. A real shame to hear, and goes to show the state of our public services.

This is an odd news story with some missing details - she was a lifeguard! I lifeguarded for years and was commonly alone at small pools or off hours when few people were swimming - and by alone I mean I was the only staffer.

I don't know what happened here and it hasn't been reported but it is not even remotely feasible to hire lifeguards to watch lifeguards!

[Anonymous]

If she's not a pool operator, she should not be the only staffer at the pool.

[Anonymous]

Also what if the lifeguards have medical emergency, are they not supposed to have medical needs like everyone else, like diabetic or epilepsy or something else that...I've heard of guards being stung by bees and going into shock to everyone's surprise but at least there was someone there to aid them when they most needed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From the article: https://www.washingtoninformer.com/dpr-lifeguard-staffing-incident-jazmin-jefferson/

More than a week after suffering a medical emergency and falling into the pool at the Roosevelt Aquatic Center, Jazmin Jefferson is in critical condition at Howard University Hospital with what family members describe as substantial brain damage.
...

Jefferson, a fifth-generation Washingtonian and alumna of School Without Walls in Northwest, was in her third year of employment as a D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) lifeguard.

Basically they understaffed the pool and she fell in for 10 minutes before someone finally found her. A real shame to hear, and goes to show the state of our public services.

This is an odd news story with some missing details - she was a lifeguard! I lifeguarded for years and was commonly alone at small pools or off hours when few people were swimming - and by alone I mean I was the only staffer.

I don't know what happened here and it hasn't been reported but it is not even remotely feasible to hire lifeguards to watch lifeguards!

Just because you did that doesn’t mean it’s safe. She had a medical emergency and then fell in the pool. Perhaps you need another person there just in case. Not even necessarily a lifeguard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also what if the lifeguards have medical emergency, are they not supposed to have medical needs like everyone else, like diabetic or epilepsy or something else that...I've heard of guards being stung by bees and going into shock to everyone's surprise but at least there was someone there to aid them when they most needed it.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

At Francis Pool this past summer, there had to be at least 2 or 3 guards on deck at all times.

They would close until they could get them.

This is strange. Why can't the District better staff its agencies? District residents are already underserved in terms of pool availabliity. Among other tragic implications of this event, that will now only get worse.

[Anonymous]

At the Y they always have two lifeguards.

[Anonymous]

She was a beautiful young woman. So sad.

[Anonymous]

That's really sad, but actually just feels more like a random tragedy than something that someone could be blamed for.

She was the lifeguard. Not all pools have multiple staff members at all times. Particularly since clearly no patrons (or very few) patrons were there (since no one else pulled her out either), it seems like only one lifeguard would have made sense. And even if they do have someone else on site, the other person may be in a different area and not see her for 10 minutes. That's pretty reasonable if someone has another job or is sitting in an office doing paperwork or something. It's such a freak thing for a young, healthy lifeguard to have some kind of crazy health issue that then lands them IN the pool.

I really, really feel for her parents, how awful, but unless something is missing here, I doesn't seem like DPR is at fault to me.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know how we can donate to her recovery? This makes me so sad.

[Anonymous]

She passed away.

[Anonymous]

Lifeguard on site with her had no peripheral vision and passed by her 3 times before noticing her in the pool. I blame the lifeguard, that same lifeguard still works there 😒

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's really sad, but actually just feels more like a random tragedy than something that someone could be blamed for.

She was the lifeguard. Not all pools have multiple staff members at all times. Particularly since clearly no patrons (or very few) patrons were there (since no one else pulled her out either), it seems like only one lifeguard would have made sense. And even if they do have someone else on site, the other person may be in a different area and not see her for 10 minutes. That's pretty reasonable if someone has another job or is sitting in an office doing paperwork or something. It's such a freak thing for a young, healthy lifeguard to have some kind of crazy health issue that then lands them IN the pool.

I really, really feel for her parents, how awful, but unless something is missing here, I doesn't seem like DPR is at fault to me.

A Lifeguard passed by her coming from the pump room. Then again coming out the bathroom. And then again from the guard room. So yeah there is someone to blame, specifically someone with no peripheral vision whose sole job is to have peripheral vision.