Two drownings ruled accidental

Ben Godar

Two residents died in unrelated drownings over the weekend, and

police say it’s the time of year to start thinking about safety

around swimming pools.

The first incident occurred at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in the 400

block of Harvard Road. Karimeh Goli, 75, apparently tripped and fell

into a relative’s pool. Health problems, including poor vision and

Alzheimer’s disease, might have contributed to the accident, police

said. The woman was found shortly after by family members.

A second drowning took place at 7:45 p.m. Saturday. Linda

Sorenson, 48, was sitting in the spa at her apartment complex in the

3600 block of West Verdugo Avenue when she drowned, police said.

Sorenson was discovered soon after the incident by other residents,

police said.

Police have not determined a cause for the drowning, but officials

said it does not appear foul play was involved. Inves- tigators are

awaiting the results of toxicology tests, police said.

While neither of the weekend’s incidents appeared to be the type

of accidents that could have been easily avoided, Lt. Janice Lowers

said it is the time of year for those with pools at their homes to

remember to follow proper safety guidelines.

In particular, Lowers said it is important for pool owners to be

aware that the swimming pool can be a dangerous place for accidents

involving elderly people.

“We’re pretty good about watching our kids,” Lowers said. “But we

need to be cognizant of older people as well.”

Tips for keeping pools safe include maintaining a secure fence

around a pool area, keeping the gate leading to the pool locked,

always supervising children or others who cannot swim and keeping

lifesaving equipment nearby.