A teenage boy and his mother are suing the city, claiming that the 16-year-old nearly drowned after a Recreation Department worker took money to let a group of kids swim after hours.
The suit, filed last Friday in Common Pleas Court, seeks damages in excess of $50,000.
On one occasion, the illegal pool time almost turned tragic when Khalik Miller, 16, allegedly paid $2 to swim after hours with no lifeguards or supervision July 15, 2008, at the Awbury Recreation Center, in East Germantown.
Miller, who knew how to swim, was knocked unconscious after diving into the pool and hitting his head on the bottom, said his lawyer, I. Michael Luber.
After the group of about 30 kids were told their time was up and they began to leave, they told an unnamed pool worker that Miller was still in the pool and ran back to find him, according to the suit. Seeing him not moving, two girls dived in to pull Miller out and begin CPR, but the employee didn't help or call for medical help, according to the suit.
Miller was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was stabilized, and then to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, with severe lung damage, Luber said. It was unclear who called 9-1-1, Luber said.
Susan Slawson, Rec Department commissioner, declined to comment last night, citing the pending litigation.
