Paging Baltimore Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot on the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center And the Death of Louis Lowenthal
While Football Remakes Itself As Legal Dodgeball, the Question Remains: How Long Can a Silver Age Last?
March 31, 2013Baltimore Health Department on Louis Lowenthal Death: ‘This [Almost Nothing] Is All We Have’
April 4, 2013A teenager, Louis Lowenthal, died avoidably last October in a public pool in Baltimore last October: the Meadowbrook Aquatic Center, home of Michael Phelps’ North Baltimore Aquatic Club. The pool, owned by Hall of Fame coach Murray Stephens — who departed as club head coach/CEO after being accused of sex abuse — broke the law by filing its incident report on the Lowenthal drowning days late. The report also ignores, fudges, or lies about key facts.
And the responsible public officials don’t seem to give a quart of chlorine. The latest is the Baltimore commissioner of health, Dr. Oxiris Barbot. According to the state health department, which doesn’t seem to care that Meadowbrook thumbed its nose at public reporting requirements in a death incident, regulation of Baltimore pools is a city problem. According to the city health department, Commissioner Barbot was out of town last week but would address our questions this week. But, so far, she has not.
While we await further word, perhaps by carrier pigeon, below are complete links to Concussion Inc.’s coverage of the Lowenthal death:
Irv Muchnick
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