Family sues Hilton after man dies following electrical shock in swimming pool

HOUSTON, TX – The family and girlfriend of a man who died after rescuing his younger brother from electrical shock in a Hilton hotel swimming pool have filed a lawsuit against the hotel and others, se

HOUSTON, TX – The family and girlfriend of a man who died after rescuing his younger brother from electrical shock in a Hilton hotel swimming pool have filed a lawsuit against the hotel and others, seeking damages for negligence of “epic proportions.”

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Houston attorneys John B. Thomas and Stephen Loftin.

Over Labor Day weekend, Raul Hernandez, his girlfriend Lorena Mendoza and her daughter Valeria were guests at the Hilton Houston Westchase Hotel located at 9999 Westheimer Road. In the late afternoon, the couple was joined by Raul’s mother and her youngest son for an afternoon swim before dinner.

As the pool lights came on at dusk, Raul’s 11-year-old brother cried out and suffered convulsions, floating helplessly near the pool lights at the deep end. His mother tried to help but was overcome herself. Raul came to the rescue of his brother, successfully hoisting the 11-year-old from the pool before being overcome from the electric shocks coming from the pool light fixture. Despite CPR at the scene, Raul could not be saved and was pronounced dead on Sept. 6 at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center.

“This tragedy so easily could have been prevented,” says Mr. Thomas. “How could such a thing happen at a Hilton?”

The court filing says the death was due to “gross negligence of epic proportions.” Attorneys say the hotel ignored the most basic safety standards, failing to install ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI’s) which would have cut off power to pool lights in case of an electrical malfunction. In fact, the pool at Hilton Westchase has not met applicable electrical codes for years, and its contractor Brown Electric Inc. recently installed new electrical equipment without seeking the proper permits from the City of Houston, the lawsuit says.

“Not only has the family lost Raul, who was nearing graduation from college and seeing his dreams become reality,” says Mr. Loftin, “they will live with the trauma from witnessing his awful death, as well as the guilt of not being able to save him.”

Family members say they are seeking damages for Raul’s death and trying to make sure such a preventable tragedy doesn’t happen to other families.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...