By Adam Foxman

Monday, August 9, 2010

A 30-year-old Thousand Oaks man was hospitalized in critical condition this week after he narrowly escaped drowning in a pool at his apartment complex, authorities said.

Venkata Tulasi Gudla-Reddy had been under water for more than a minute Sunday evening when his neighbor Kenneth Macinnes rescued him from the bottom of the pool at the Wilbur Oaks Apartments, 450 E. Wilbur Road, said Capt. Ross Bonfiglio, a spokesman for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

Gudla-Reddy wasn’t breathing when he was taken out of the water. Macinnes, 52, and another bystander gave him CPR until emergency responders arrived and took him to Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Bonfiglio said.

The near drowning was reported about 5:47 p.m. Sunday.

Gudla-Reddy, who could not swim, was at the pool with a group of other men, their wives and children when the incident occurred. Bonfiglio said.

At one point, the men wanted to see how deep they could go into the pool, so they handed children to their wives, linked arms and began walking toward the deep end, Bonfiglio said.

Gudla-Reddy lost his footing, panicked, began thrashing, started going under and grabbed onto another of the men, who couldn’t swim either, Bonfiglio said. Being pulled under, the other man pushed away and was able to get back to the shallow end, but Gudla-Reddy went to the bottom.

Macinnes was in his apartment nearby when he heard the commotion outside his sliding glass door. He went to his balcony, saw people running around the pool and called down to see if they needed help, then ran downstairs when no one answered, he told authorities.

When he went into the pool gate, he saw a life preserver had been thrown in, and Gudla-Reddy was motionless on the bottom of the pool, Bonfiglio said. Witnesses later told authorities Gudla-Reddy had been under water for more than one minute but less than three, he said.

Macinnes dove in, carried his neighbor to the surface and brought him out of the water with help from other bystanders, said the captain. With help from another bystander, Macinnes gave Gudla-Reddy CPR until paramedics arrived and took over.

In the ambulance, Gudla-Reddy had a weak pulse and was taking shallow breaths. He was admitted to the hospital in critical but stable condition, Bonfiglio said.

Submitted on 08/09/2010

Submitted by: Jeff Perkins
Reference: Ventura County Star, 8/9/10

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Bruce said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
While we get a lot of drowning stories of various types they usually revolve around an individual deciding to ignore danger signs, not a group of non-swimmers hanging out in the backyard pool. Thanks for sending this in, Jeff!

Candi said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
Non-swimmers getting in over thir heads is way too common these days. Thanks, Jeff, and submit again!

James said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
I have to concur with Candi. The non-swimmer was with a group and was holding hands with them. The group had no apparent intention of going in any deeper than they had to, and had the victim not lost his footing and panicked, he'd have probably been fine...

Jack said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
And so we have a group of people (who presumable didn't know how to swim, since no one tried to jump in to save Mr. Gudla-Reddy...) who decide to link arms and see just how close to the deep end they could get. Well, Mr. Gudla-Reddy certainly found out!

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