JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — Johnstown resident Ron Esposito is using his wife's death to warn others about the dangers of pools, and those dangers include more than drownings.
After three children, 11 grandchildren and almost 49 years of marriage, Ron watched his wife, Jean, die as their above-ground swimming pool collapsed.
"That's where she was at when I saw her, over beside those rugs," Esposito said.
On May 30, Kathleen Esposito, who was known to her friends and family as Jean, was killed while trying to drain excess water out of her above-ground pool.
Her husband, Ron, was inside their home and watched as the pool burst.
"So I’m concentrating on this 4-foot high wall of water 25 feet, at least, wide, barreling down my yard, ripping down the fence, going over top Mr. Loyd's truck that he parks back there,” Esposito said. “And then the wall started to recede, as the water started to recede, I saw her laying there."
Esposito hopes that sharing his story will warn others about the dangers of swimming pools.
"And I’m begging people that have aluminum-wall pools, please, please, there are other dangers to swimming pools,other than drowning, and I found that out,” Esposito said. “I lost my partner in life, the woman I loved dearly, that I would've done anything for, I would've died for."
"I can't do anything without crying, because I can't stop thinking about what I saw," Esposito said.
Pool professional Bryan Zettle said that pool owners should keep an eye on their pools, looking for leaks or rust.
"You have such a force of water if that wall is going to let loose,” Zettle said. “Whatever is in that pool is coming out and usually it will be a jagged edge of metal that just ripped so, you know, the likelihood of getting injured pretty severe is there, and that's why it is so important to keep an eye on your pool."
If you see rust or white powder on the walls of your pool or notice any leaks or loss of water, have a pool professional come and assess the pool to avoid an accident like the one that happened to Jean Esposito.
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