Family of teen who died at swim meet sues over alleged safety failures

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The tragic death of a promising 17-year-old girl at a swim club meet could have been prevented, according to a lawsuit filed against the swim organizations and the school where the meet was held.

The lawsuit is the latest chapter in the story of the family of Tehani Kealoha, which has faced death twice, and lives on with unmeasurable loss.

Walter and Jamie Kealoha’s daughter, Tehani, was not just a competitive swimmer; but a musician and dancer, a valedictorian at Moanalua High School, and a loving child.

“All the stories riding in the car, getting her ready for prom, that was just all snatched away,” said Jamie Kealoha.

“I miss her so much,” Walter Kealoha sobbed during a meeting with reporters.

Tehani was swimming for the Kamehameha Swim Club, which is not affiliated with the Kamehameha Schools, during a meet on May 13, 2023, at the American Renaissance Academy pool in Kapolei.

Jamie Kealoha was helping the timers when she saw a girl that looked like Tehani being pulled from the warm-up lane. She said no one knew what to do, and had to give her own daughter rescue breaths.

“I’m thinking nobody wants to help because we’re just coming out of pandemic,” Jamie Kealoha said. “I just said you need to tell me what to do, just breathing when they said to breathe.”

The family’s attorney, Robert Miyashita, said there was no lifeguard on duty or safety plan in place and obtained security and police video that he said proves fatal delays.

One video shows a meet official who walked away from the pool and didn’t see Tehani struggling in the water. She was rescued by another unidentified swimmer, whose story was recorded on police officer’s body camera.

“She flailed and kind of hit me,” the girl said. “So, I knew something was kind of wrong so I got out of the water and I tried to call for a lifeguard.”

The video shows several people pulling Tehani from the pool, her legs hanging over the water. Her mom was at her side.

“You know, I remember, kneeling down and telling her to open her eyes, telling her to wake up, you know, not just not knowing what was happening,” she said.

Miyashita said it took five minutes before anyone began chest compressions, and about eight minutes to find and deploy an automated defibrillator, much longer than recommended for reviving a person without a pulse.

“By eight minutes, the chances of survival is negligible,” Miyashita said.

The family is convinced Tehani could have been saved, because her twin brother, Dustin, who unknowingly shared the same genetic heart defect, also went into cardiac arrest at the Kamehameha Schools pool complex three months later.

This time their father, Walter, rushed to the pool.

“I was just thinking to myself, you know, this can’t be happening again,” Walter said. “For me, it was really scary because I wasn’t there for my daughter. Just knowing that, looking at my son laying on the pool deck, you know, trying to survive.”

The lawsuit, and family, said rescuers at the Kamehameha Schools pool complex were prepared.

“They had the equipment there. They started the shocks,” Jamie Kealoha said. “EMT came and was able to get his pulse back.”

“It was a group effort that saved Dustin. Unfortunately, Tehani didn’t have a chance,” Miyashita said.

Dustin attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire where he wears a blue bracelet every day to honor his sister.

“I’m more than grateful for the lifeguarding staff at Kamehameha, and I continue to think every day. If only Tehani had the same type of help and assistance,” Dustin said in an interview from his dorm.

At their meeting with reporters, the Kealoha family asked to remind the public that February is Heart Month, and that all sports leagues need to prepare for cardiac emergencies.

The lawsuit names Renaissance Academy, the national and local amateur swim leagues, and Tehani’s swim club.

Attorneys for defendants have not responded to our request for a response.

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