Family angry over girl's death, Fenty's response
By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
October 9, 2009
The family of a 15-year-old D.C. girl who died last week at a public pool still has no answers about what caused her death and little solace, they say, from the Fenty administration's lack of response to the tragedy.
D.C. emergency responders were called to the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center just before 6 p.m. Sept. 30 for the report of a possible drowning. Police spokeswoman Gwen Crump said Chantice Caruth, a Woodrow Wilson High School freshman, fell on the pool deck and "suffered some sort of seizure." Moments earlier her DC Wave swim team had started practice.
Chantice was transported to Children's National Medical Center, where she was declared dead. The chief medical examiner has not yet released a cause of death.
Whatever caused the tragedy, Chantice's family is unhappy with the Fenty administration's reaction, as are D.C. Council members and the president of the swim team's booster club.
Ward 7 Councilwoman Yvette Alexander, who calls the Caruth family her constituents, said the administration's lack of response played a role in her decision to oppose Ximena Hartsock as permanent director of the Department of Parks and Recreation.
"We're going to demand answers to what happened," Alexander said Tuesday before casting her vote against Hartsock, whose nomination failed 7-5.
DPR officially had no comment, but sources in the agency disputed charges of a lackluster response. Hartsock and several staff were at the hospital the night of the incident, sources said. The director expressed her condolences to the swim team via e-mail; her staff reached out to the family several times. And crisis units were in place for the team.
Chantice was a "remarkably gifted athlete" who also played basketball, softball and tennis, said David Caruth, her uncle. She had no history of seizures.
"My sister gets a call that her daughter is in route to the hospital," Caruth said. "We don't know why she died."
Fenty's Ward 7 outreach coordinator visited the Caruth family at their home Wednesday evening. Caruth received an e-mail from the government in response to a letter he sent seeking information: "We will have someone from the appropriate department be back in touch with you within 1-2 days to address your comment, concern, or question."
Don Brazelton, president of the DC Wave booster club, said DPR staff members on site at Rumsey responded as best they could, but the Fenty administration's reaction was slow and "unacceptable." The Hartsock e-mail received by the team Oct. 2 was sent "on behalf" of the agency director, Brazelton said, citing the e-mail subject line.
