Estate of Man Who Drowned in Excalibur Swimming Pool Sues Las Vegas Casino

Posted on: November 25, 2024, 12:44h. 

Last updated on: November 25, 2024, 12:48h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

The family and estate of a man who died last year by drowning in a Las Vegas Strip swimming pool has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the casino resort.

Excalibur casino resort Las Vegas drowning
The estate of a man who died by drowning in an outdoor swimming pool at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip has filed a wrongful death lawsuit on his behalf. The lawsuit complains the MGM casino was negligent in responding to his slip and fall. (Image: Casino.org)

Paul Nakashima of Burnaby, British Columbia, was in Las Vegas with family and friends during a June 2023 weekend to celebrate his 60th birthday. What was supposed to be an entertaining and relaxing getaway for the Canadians came to a shocking end less than a day into the long weekend after Nakashima was found unresponsive in the Excalibur Hotel & Casino swimming pool.

According to the complaint filed in Clark County Court by Nakashima’s estate and his sisters Sandra Waithe and Ruth Nakashima, the Nakashima group arrived at the Excalibur on Thursday, June 15, 2023. The next afternoon, Nakashima reportedly slipped and hit his head after entering a shallow section of a swimming pool.

The lawsuit claims the lifeguard on duty didn’t check on him after the incident. Around 4:20 pm local time, guests noticed a man floating with his head underwater. They promptly told the lifeguard who responded by jumping in the pool and attempting to rescue Nakashima.

A guest with CPR knowledge performed resuscitation efforts on Nakashima to no avail. The man’s face was blue when EMT personnel put him in an ambulance and transported him to the Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center.

Lawsuit Alleges Negligence 

Nakashima was declared dead soon after arriving at the Spring Valley Hospital emergency room.

Doctors told his family that he had been “deprived of oxygen” for at least 45 minutes and he was braindead.

Nagashima’s estate and family are demanding a jury trial on allegations that New Castle, LLC, doing business as Excalibur, was negligent in providing a safe pool area and had an inadequate emergency response to an accident. The lawsuit seeks $15K in damages from the Las Vegas casino for not properly training its lifeguards, as required by the Southern Nevada Health District’s Aquatic Facility Regulations.

The incident occurred at the Excalibur Court Pool, the mushroom-shaped pool among the four pools on the casino’s outdoor pool deck.

According to his obituary, Nakashima enjoyed playing poker and visiting destinations. Along with Las Vegas, his favorite spots were in Hawaii and Mexico. Nakashima worked as a security officer at the Vancouver Convention Center.

Drowning Deaths

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance says there are more than 4,500 unintentional drowning deaths each year in the United States. The nonprofit says drowning is “fast and silent” and can happen in as little as 20 to 60 seconds.

Drowning is among the top four causes of unintentional death. Most instances of adult drowning occur in natural, open waters such as lakes, rivers, ponds, and oceans. Adult drowning in swimming pools often involves a slip and fall or other accident leading to head trauma, a medical emergency such as a heart attack, or impairment caused by alcohol and/or drugs.

Nevada’s drowning death rate of 1.45 per 100K people is higher than the national average of 1.31 per 100K people.