Witnesses claim lifeguards slow to react as man drowns at Wild Waves

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A man drowned at Wild Waves Theme Park on Saturday, a spokesperson with South King Fire and Rescue said.

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Wild Waves officials said in a statement Sunday that lifeguards pulled the 32-year-old man out of one of the activity pools around 5:30 p.m. Saturday evening.

Lifeguards and first responder teams began CPR.

South King Fire & Rescue says its crews arrived and performed CPR on the man, but they were unable to revive him.

The circumstances of his death are unclear, though some witnesses point fingers at the lifeguards, claiming they were slow to react.

Other witnesses describe the scene as chaotic and say the lifeguards took time to debate about what to do.

South King Fire officials have not released any additional information and defer to Wild Wave staff for further details.

Wild Waves officials shared a statement Sunday on the man's death:

At approximately 5:30 pm Saturday evening, our lifeguards pulled a 32-year-old male from the Activity Pool.  Lifeguards and first responder teams immediately administered CPR and 911 was called. At 5:33 pm, South King Fire and Rescue crews arrived on scene and continued rescue efforts. Unfortunately, the man did not regain consciousness. We are helping authorities with the follow-up investigation. Our thoughts are with the family in this difficult time.

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