William W. Carrier, an attorney representing the swim club and the management company, said Thursday that the injury to James' brain was caused not by a near-drowning but by a heart attack he suffered in the pool. Carrier said James was pulled out of the water less than a minute after he showed signs of struggling, and never went to the bottom.
The boy was given CPR treatment by a Maryland Shock Trauma Center nurse who happened to be one of the 15 people swimming in the pool at the time, Carrier said, adding that three lifeguards were on duty and responded to the emergency.
The news that James had suffered a heart attack was common knowledge, Carrier said, and it was reported in the bulletin of the church the Becker family attended.
