Faulty Pool Wiring Leads to Electrocution

Cailley Hammel Headshot

A 7-year-old boy from the Miami area died after being electrocuted in the family swimming pool, and authorities suspect the pool light is to blame. 

According to local sources, Calder Sloan and his brother, Caleb, were at home with their nanny of four years and her 22-year-old son, Gary. Calder and Gary jumped in the pool, and Gary felt a shock, prompting him to leap out of the pool and call for Calder to do the same. But Calder was underwater, swimming toward the pool light. 

The boy was knocked unconscious while in the water. After he was pulled out, the nanny called 911. 

According to WPLG, a neighbor, Fabian Pesantes, tied to resuscitate the boy with CPR.

“As I was touching the water, to wipe off my mouth, I was getting zapped,” Pesantes told WPLG. “As I was performing CPR on the boy I was getting zapped.”

During the investigation, the Sloan family explained they recently had work done on their pool light. According to an electrician who inspected the pool equipment, a ground wire wasn’t attached to the transformer — meaning 120 volts of electricity were sent to the pool light. 

The current corroded the light’s steel casing, and soon, water seeped in, creating an electrically-charged body of water. There's no word on whether the professional hired to work on the pool light was an experienced pool professional. 

The family is launching a foundation in honor of their son.  

Related: How to Test a Swimming Pool Bonding Grid

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