"Code Brown" Swimming Pool Hearings Underway
The day that has become universally-known as “Brown Thursday” in Nut Mountain is finally having the hearings investigating that tragic day get under way.
On July 14th, 2011 a chain of events unfolded that caused widespread panic in the town's public swimming pool resulting in countless injuries to children and adults alike as a busy pool full of patrons tried desperately to get out of the water all at once.
A “code brown” refers to pool staff or life guards sighting fecal matter in the water. For sanitation reasons everyone is to vacate the pool when a code brown is announced. But the apparent widespread nature of the fecal matter appearing in the water that day caused unusual panic, including in the lifeguards, one of which reportedly threw up at pool side and then slipped into the water.
Victim's lawyers argued that the town is responsible for the tragedy, citing negligence on the part of lifeguards who allegedly fuelled the panic with their own repulsion.
The Town opened its arguments claiming to have evidence the panic was actually ignited by a novelty shark fin which caused a number of young children to defecate in shock--all at once.
"There was all kinds of fecal matter in the pool that day and I intend to prove the panic was caused by the shark fin, not by overly sensitive life guards," said Lance Pompa, a layer representing the town of Nut Mountain.
The hearings are expected to last at three weeks with many witnesses and fecal experts expected to testify. The pool remained open but largely unused for the rest of the summer.
Photo: Nathaniel Homier
Posted by About James
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