The potential financial consequences of a chemical incident that injured swimmers last month at Temescal Pool are starting to emerge for the city of Oakland.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One of the people swimming at the Pool on Sept. 10, when dangerous chemicals were suddenly released into the water, is a lawyer, and they have filed a claim against the city \u2014 essentially a precursor to a lawsuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The swimmer alleges he was among the 20 or more people in the water around 6 a.m. participating in a workout with the Temescal Masters swim team when the pool\u2019s chemical system injected a concentrated rush of chlorine and hydrochloric acid into the pool.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the swimmer, noxious fumes filled the air, making it difficult to see or breathe. The swimmers \u201cwere coughing violently and struggling to keep their heads above water.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy head was swimming, and I immediately felt nauseous. Some of my teammates were screaming \u2018get out of the water\u2019; others were yelling to find out what was happening; others were just screaming in agony.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Oaklandside reached out to the individual who filed the claim. They are a former federal prosecutor who currently serves as legal counsel for a major university. Concerned for their privacy, they asked to not be named.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The swimmer, in their claim, alleges that four individuals were taken to the hospital, including two via ambulance, and that they suffered symptoms of chemical exposure and inhalation, along with emotional distress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPut bluntly, this was a traumatic event. I have suffered from survivor\u2019s guilt, persistent anxiety, and loss of my enjoyment of life,\u201d the claimant wrote. \u201cAnyone who knows me knows that swimming at Temescal was one of my favorite endeavors, and a key pillar of my identity. As of now, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll ever go back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The swimmer alleges the chemical spill was the result of the city\u2019s negligence. If other swimmers file similar claims, the city could be asked to pay thousands of dollars to compensate them for healthcare bills, emotional distress, and more. If the claims escalate into lawsuits, Oakland could be on the hook for much more money.<\/p>\n
The City Attorney did not respond to an interview request to discuss the claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the swimmer, the cause of the chemical injection was human error. They wrote in their claim that city staff who maintain the pool had been alerted to low chemical levels in the Temescal Pool on the morning of Sept. 10. Upon inspection, staff discovered that the ChemFlo automated water management system was shut off, which the claim characterizes as \u201can exceptionally rare and hazardous operational state.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Standard safety protocol required closing the facility and evacuating swimmers before adjusting the chemicals, but city staff allegedly turned the machinery back on while swimmers were still in the water.\u00a0<\/p>\n