Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Silicon Valley Exec Killed Trying To Save His Daughter From Electrified Pool
A Silicon Valley executive was fatally electrocuted on Easter when he tried to rescue his daughter from their backyard pool in Palm Springs.Jim Tramel, 43, lived in Burlingame and was vice president of sales at marketing technology company RevJet, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
On Sunday, Tramel and his family were at their vacation home in Palm Springs. At some point, the pool became electrified, and victims reported a "tingling feeling." The body of Tramel's 9-year-old daughter became lifeless and she sunk to the bottom of the pool. Tramel jumped in to try to save her, but he was immediately electrocuted and lost consciousness, authorities told the Los Angeles Times.
Palm Springs police Sgt. William Hutchinson told the Times, "I think most people, your first instinct is to dive in and rescue your child. I think a lot of people unfortunately would have taken that route. He may not have known … what was going on."
Tramel was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. His daughter survived, though she is in critical condition. Several other people who were in the pool—including Tramel's wife and other children—were also shocked, though they were far enough away from the source of the electricity that their injuries were less serious.
Support for LAist comes from
A preliminary investigation suggests that a light fixture in the pool was missing screws and had some sort of power surge, perhaps caused by faulty pool wires. Investigators suspect it's nothing more than a horrific freak accident and a pretty rare one at that.
A neighbor Philip Cooper told The Desert Sun that many of the houses on the block were built in the 1960s, and they didn't have up-to-date electrical systems. He's not sure whether the Tramel family had updated theirs when they moved in.
Hutchison told the Times that emergency responders were shaken by the incident, "Thinking about that pool, I went home and scheduled a contractor."
Mitchell Weisman, the CEO of RevJet, started up a GoFundMe account to help the Tramel family, and says he's "heartbroken." He writes:
Jim's lovely wife Kim and their children now face the future without a husband, and without a father. Even worse, at this very moment Jim's oldest child remains in intensive care, fighting for her life. Please pray with us for her survival and recovery.
Scott Van Dyke, the Tramels' neighbor next door, told The Desert Sun that the family came down to visit a few times a year: "They were lovely people. He was a loving husband, with kids and a wife. I can't imagine ... how their world's been turned upside down."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist