24 Hour Fitness Sued for Wrongful Death; Failed to Provide Defibrillator; Member Died
PRNewswire
August 3rd, 2005
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Mrs. Raj Pombra of Foster City,
California, has filed suit against 24 Hour Fitness, Inc., in Los Angeles
Superior Court, at the Central Courthouse, for negligent failure to equip its
health clubs with automatic external defibrillators, thereby causing the death
of her son, Nick Pombra. Shortly after noon, on July 26, 2004, Nick Pombra,
41, who had no history of heart trouble and was in good health, was working
out on a treadmill at the 24 Hour Fitness facility at 6360 Sunset Boulevard in
Los Angeles, when he suddenly collapsed in a state of cardiac arrest. The
health club had no automatic external defibrillator (AED) on site and
therefore could not promptly defibrillate Mr. Pombra. In addition, the staff
delayed in calling for medical help. By the time paramedics arrived, it was
too late to revive Mr. Pombra.
"Mr. Pombra is the latest in a line of 24 Hour Fitness members who would
have been saved if only 24 Hour Fitness had followed industry standards and
equipped its clubs with AED's," explains Mike Danko, of the San Mateo firm of
O'Reilly Danko & Yamane. Danko is representing Mrs. Raj Pombra, with Paul
Weinberg of the firm of Weinberg & Garber, Northampton, Massachusetts. "24
Hour Fitness is the world's largest privately owned health club and it is
extremely profitable," adds Danko. "Each of its centers is stocked wall to
wall with the latest in exercise machinery. How many of its members have to
die needlessly before 24 Hour Fitness spends the few dollars necessary to buy
for its centers the single piece of equipment no health club should be
without?
"When clients sign up to join a 24 Hour Fitness facility, the club
represents to them that its staff is equipped to handle medical emergencies.
It has been a full three years since the American Heart Association declared
that all health clubs should be equipped with AEDs. At this point, there can
be no excuse for the failure to provide this equipment. 24 Hour Fitness is
responsible for the needless death of Nick Pombra."
Nick Pombra was a successful actor, using the screen name Nick Palmer, who
appeared in such well-known movies as Down With Love, Seventh Heaven and Catch
Me If You Can. |
