Last month, an eight-year-old girl was killed in a horrific suction-entrapment incident.
On March 23, Aliyah Jaico disappeared while swimming in a lazy river at the Doubletree by Hilton’s Houston Brookhollow location. According to a lawsuit filed on behalf of the child’s family, surveillance footage showed she had sunken underwater and never resurfaced.
A search specialist was retained to work with local police to find the child. The pool was drained and the team attached cameras to 20-foot poles. After lowering the cameras into the pipes, said to measure 12- to 16 inches in diamater, they located her body.
The pool was inspected shortly after, with approximately 20 infractions listed, several not related to the entrapment. The inspection report said part of one suction drain cover was missing where the search and recovery had taken place. It did not specify whether the damage was pre-existing or occurred during the recovery. In addition, a return inlet for the lazy river did not have a cover.
The report also stated that the hotel failed to provide documentation showing the drain covers complied with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act. Such documentation is supposed to include the expiration dates and lifespans of the covers. Approved site plans did not show the lazy river flow suction, return piping and feature pump information, the report said. And the suction outlets on-site did not match those specified in the approved plans.
The pool was recently remodeled. Officials said no pre-opening inspection was conducted after the renovation, as required by code. It has been shut down and cannot re-open until re-inspection shows it is safe. In addition to correcting the violations, the property owners must provide documentation indicating that the flow rate generated by the lazy river pumps do not exceed that approved for the wall suction outlet grates. Property management was told not to operate the pump connected to the line with the broken drain cover until that cover is replaced.
The wrongful-death lawsuit names the specific Doubletree location, registered as Unique Crowne Hospitality. Also named was Doubletree’s parent company, Hilton Worldwide Holdings. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, more than 80% of Doubletree by Hilton locations are franchised.
