Teen Suffers Electrical Shock in Family Pool
Doctors expect the 15-year-old girl to make a full recovery
Vikki Vargas
Julio Cruz and his 23-year-old daughther Bianca Cruz explain what happened when an electrical shock surged through their family pool while Bianca and her 15-year-old sister were swimming. Investigators are looking at underwater wiring as the possible cause of the incident. Vikki Vargas reports from Garden Grove for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on August 13, 2012.
Investigators on Monday were trying to decipher if faulty wiring in an underwater pool light is responsible for shocking a Garden Grove teenager in the family pool over the weekend.
Bianca Cruz, 15, was swimming in the deep end when her limbs went numb from an electrical shock.
Julio Cruz said his daughter was floating face down in the pool and when he touched her, he realized what had happened.
“I just ran and pulled my daughter out of the pool and felt the shock in my hands,” he said.
Her 23-year-old sister was also in the pool and tried to save her younger sibling. But she too felt the power of the electricity.
“It just kind of paralyzed me, pulled on me,” said Tiffany Cruz. “I felt a pressure like I was shriveling.”
Police said Bianca’s heart had stopped when they arrived.
“We felt for a pulse. We didn’t feel one,” said Officer Claudia Alarcon, Garden Grove Police Department.
First responders had to use a portable defibrillator three times on the teen before they transported her to the hospital, said Officer Edgar Valencia.
Julio Cruz said he had some problems with the electrical breakers a few weeks ago and the seal around the pool light had recently been repaired.
Pool technician Leslie Martinez warns pool owners to check their GFI outlets and the casings that hold pool lights. He said normal wear and tear happens over the years since water is corrosive.
Officials at UCI Medical Center say Bianca Cruz is expected to make a full recovery.
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