An announcement from Danville PD:
Detectives from the Danville Police Department have concluded their investigation into the May death of 15-year old Danville resident Benjamin Curry and determined there was no foul play in the incident, and the death was accidental. Detectives found no signs of foul play in the death, nor any criminal negligence. The investigation regarding Curry’s death was extensively reviewed by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and no criminal charges will be filed.
Officers first learned of the case on May 8, 2018, at approximately 1:51 p.m. when police were dispatched to San Ramon Valley High School (SRVHS) after Curry was discovered in the school’s pool. A staff member of SRVHS found Curry unresponsive in the pool and immediately took action to remove him from the water. The staff member, along with law enforcement and fire officials, attempted lifesaving measures before Curry was transported to Kaiser Medical Center, Walnut Creek, where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.
Detectives from the Danville Police Department conducted a detailed investigation into Curry’s death and determined he accidentally drowned while participating in his 4th period physical education class. The investigation included the review of video footage from the pool area, as well as numerous interviews with family, classmates, and SRVHS staff, along with a final review by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office.
The Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff Coroner’s Division was also involved and determined the cause of death to be asphyxia due to drowning and that the manner of death was accidental.
So tragic and obviously devastating for this family.
Heartbreaking.
I don’t understand why there are no procedures in place to ensure that the number of students entering the pool for a class is equivalent to the number of students exiting the pool at the conclusion of class. This seems like a rather rudimentary and reasonable safety procedure.
Agreed. I assume the PE teacher is supposed to act as a “Life Guard” when the PE class is in the pool. All that would have been required was a glance to confirm that all kids were out of pool. But perhaps there are other details/factors that were not publicized.
Really sorry this happened of course but have to wonder how it did.
Hard to believe.