Dad Pushed Me Into Pool During Argument—The Lifeguard Video Went To Six Elder Abuse Investigators... — Transcript

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1. 0:00The retirement community pool deck was
2. 0:02crowded that Sunday afternoon. My father
3. 0:04stood 3 ft away, his face red with
4. 0:07anger, jabbing his finger at my chest,
5. 0:09while my sister and brother-in-law
6. 0:10pretended to read magazines on the
7. 0:12loungers behind him. You think you can
8. 0:14tell me how to spend my money? Dad's
9. 0:16voice carried across the water. I raised
10. 0:19you. I paid for everything, and now
11. 0:21you're lecturing me about gambling? I
12. 0:23kept my voice low, aware of the other
13. 0:26residents watching. Dad, you've lost
14. 0:28$40,000 in 3 months. The facility
15. 0:31director called me because your account
16. 0:33is overdrawn. They're threatening
17. 0:35eviction. Lies. He stepped closer. You
18. 0:39just want control. You've always wanted
19. 0:41to control everything. My sister Emma
20. 0:43finally looked up from her magazine.
21. 0:46Dad's right. You're being dramatic. He's
22. 0:48an adult. He hasn't paid his rent here
23. 0:51in 2 months, I said turning to her.
24. 0:53Where do you think he'll go when they
25. 0:55kick him out? She shrugged. That's your
26. 0:57problem. You're the oldest. You handle
27. 1:00it. This was the pattern. Dad created
28. 1:02chaos, Emma enabled it, and I was
29. 1:05expected to fix everything while being
30. 1:07blamed for caring. I'd been dealing with
31. 1:09this dynamic for 43 years. I'm not
32. 1:12giving you power of attorney over my
33. 1:14finances, Dad said. I'll spend my money
34. 1:16however I want. It's not about control.
35. 1:19It's about making sure you have a place
36. 1:21to live. I could feel my exhaustion
37. 1:24showing. I'd driven 2 hours after
38. 1:26working a 12-hour shift at the casino.
39. 1:29Don't you dare judge me. His hand shot
40. 1:32out and shoved my shoulder. I stumbled
41. 1:34backward. My heel caught the pool edge.
42. 1:37The water was closer than I thought. I
43. 1:39went in sideways, hitting the surface
44. 1:41hard. The impact knocked the air from my
45. 1:43lungs. Water rushed into my nose, my
46. 1:46mouth. I kicked instinctively, but I'd
47. 1:48never learned to swim. My father had
48. 1:50refused to pay for lessons when I was
49. 1:52young, calling them unnecessary. Panic
50. 1:55flooded my system. I clawed upward, but
51. 1:58I didn't know which way was up. My
52. 2:00clothes were heavy. My lungs burned.
53. 2:03Through the distorted water, I could see
54. 2:05shapes above, people standing, no one
55. 2:07jumping in. My vision started to gray at
56. 2:10the edges. Then hands grabbed me. Strong
57. 2:13arms hooked under my shoulders. I broke
58. 2:15the surface gasping, coughing water. The
59. 2:18lifeguard, a young man maybe 25, dragged
60. 2:21me to the pool edge. I've got you. Don't
61. 2:24fight me. I've got you. Other staff
62. 2:27members helped pull me out. I collapsed
63. 2:29on the concrete vomiting chlorinated
64. 2:31water, my body shaking violently. Call
65. 2:34911,
66. 2:36someone said. I'm fine, I managed, but I
67. 2:39wasn't. My chest felt crushed.
68. 2:41Everything hurt. The lifeguard knelt
69. 2:43beside me. You were under for almost a
70. 2:46minute. You need to go to the hospital.
71. 2:48I looked up at the deck. My father stood
72. 2:50exactly where he'd been, arms crossed.
73. 2:53Emma was on her phone. Neither had moved
74. 2:56to help. He pushed her, an elderly
75. 2:58woman's voice said. I saw the whole
76. 3:01thing. He pushed her right in. It was an
77. 3:03accident, Dad said loudly. She slipped.
78. 3:06That's not what happened, the woman
79. 3:08stepped forward. I'm Margaret Chen. I
80. 3:11live in building C. That man
81. 3:13deliberately shoved his daughter into
82. 3:15the pool. The facility director arrived
83. 3:18running across the deck. Diana Morrison
84. 3:21had been managing Riverside Senior
85. 3:23Living for 15 years. I'd met with her
86. 3:25twice in the past month about Dad's
87. 3:28unpaid bills. What happened? She looked
88. 3:30at me then at the lifeguard. Patient was
89. 3:33pushed into the pool by that resident,
90. 3:35the lifeguard said, pointing at my
91. 3:37father. She couldn't swim, was
92. 3:39underwater approximately 50 seconds
93. 3:42before I could reach her. She lost
94. 3:44consciousness briefly during extraction.
95. 3:46Diana's expression hardened. Security
96. 3:49footage will show everything. Marcus,
97. 3:51save that file immediately. The security
98. 3:54guard nodded speaking into his radio.
99. 3:57Paramedics arrived. They insisted on
100. 3:59taking me to the hospital despite my
101. 4:01protests. As they loaded me into the
102. 4:03ambulance, I heard Diana speaking to my
103. 4:06father. Mr. Peterson, we need to talk in
104. 4:09my office. Now. The hospital kept me for
105. 4:126 hours. Mild concussion from hitting
106. 4:15the water. Possible aspiration pneumonia
107. 4:17from the water in my lungs. Severe
108. 4:20bruising on my shoulder where dad had
109. 4:22shoved me. They wanted to keep me
110. 4:24overnight for observation. I was lying
111. 4:26in the ER bay when my phone rang. Diana
112. 4:29Morrison. How are you feeling? Her voice
113. 4:32was professional but concerned. Like I
114. 4:34drowned. I tried to laugh. It hurt. I
115. 4:37need to inform you of the steps we're
116. 4:39taking. First, your father has been
117. 4:42issued an immediate restraining order
118. 4:44prohibiting contact with you. Second, I
119. 4:46filed a mandatory incident report with
120. 4:49adult protective services. Adult
121. 4:51Protective Services. I was confused. I'm
122. 4:5443. The report covers both you and your
123. 4:57father. There are protocols when family
124. 5:00violence occurs on our property
125. 5:01regardless of the victim's age.
126. 5:03Additionally, given the severity,
127. 5:05attempted drowning, family members
128. 5:08failing to render aid, I forwarded the
129. 5:10security footage to the county
130. 5:12prosecutor's office. My head was
131. 5:14spinning. I don't want to press charges.
132. 5:17You don't have to. The state can
133. 5:19prosecute based on witness testimony and
134. 5:22video evidence alone. What happened
135. 5:24today was felony assault. You nearly
136. 5:26died while your family watched. I closed
137. 5:29my eyes. He's my father. I understand,
138. 5:32but I have a responsibility to the
139. 5:34safety of everyone in this facility.
140. 5:37Your father will be evicted within 30
141. 5:39days. His behavior has escalated
142. 5:41dangerously. After she hung up, Emma
143. 5:44called. What the hell did you do? She
144. 5:46was furious. Dad just got served with
145. 5:49eviction papers. They're saying he
146. 5:51assaulted you." "He did assault me,
147. 5:53Emma. You watched it happen." "You're
148. 5:55being dramatic. It was an accident." "I
149. 5:58couldn't breathe. I was unconscious. You
150. 6:01didn't even stand up." "Because I knew
151. 6:03you'd be fine. You're always fine. But
152. 6:06now Dad has nowhere to go, and it's your
153. 6:08fault." "He pushed me into a pool
154. 6:10knowing I can't swim. That's attempted
155. 6:13murder." "Don't be ridiculous." She hung
156. 6:16up. Three days later, I received a call
157. 6:18from Detective Sarah Okonkwo with the
158. 6:20county prosecutor's elder abuse unit.
159. 6:23"Ms. Peterson, I'm calling about the
160. 6:26incident at Riverside Senior Living.
161. 6:28We've reviewed the security footage and
162. 6:30witness statements. We're pursuing
163. 6:32charges against your father." "I really
164. 6:34don't want" "I understand this is
165. 6:36difficult, but we have six witnesses who
166. 6:39saw your father deliberately push you
167. 6:41into the pool. We have footage showing
168. 6:43you unconscious in the water while your
169. 6:45family failed to render aid. We have
170. 6:47medical records showing significant
171. 6:50injuries. This isn't a case where victim
172. 6:52cooperation is required." She paused. "I
173. 6:55should also tell you that during our
174. 6:57investigation, we discovered something
175. 6:59unusual." My stomach tightened. "What?"
176. 7:02"Your father has been telling staff and
177. 7:04residents that you're stealing from him,
178. 7:06that you're trying to take his money.
179. 7:08Several people reported these
180. 7:10statements. However, when we examined
181. 7:12the facility's ownership records, I knew
182. 7:15where this was going." "You're listed as
183. 7:17the primary investor in Riverside Senior
184. 7:19Living. According to corporate filings,
185. 7:22you own 38% of the company. You've owned
186. 7:25it for 6 years." Silence stretched
187. 7:27between us. "Ms. Peterson, did your
188. 7:30father know this?" "No." My voice was
189. 7:32barely a whisper. "I invested
190. 7:34anonymously through a trust. The
191. 7:36facility director knows, but no one
192. 7:39else." "Why?" "Because my father would
193. 7:41have accused me of spying on him, of
194. 7:44controlling him. He's been angry since
195. 7:46mom died and I suggested he move
196. 7:48somewhere with support. He insisted on
197. 7:51Riverside because it was the fancy
198. 7:53place, but he's never been able to
199. 7:55afford it without help. Who's been
200. 7:57paying his bills? I have through the
201. 7:59trust. He thinks his social security and
202. 8:02pension cover everything. They don't.
203. 8:05They cover about 40%. Detective Okonkwo
204. 8:08was quiet for a moment. So you've been
205. 8:11subsidizing his living expenses and he
206. 8:13attacked you while accusing you of
207. 8:15stealing from him. Yes, that changes the
208. 8:18dynamic significantly. The prosecutor
209. 8:20will want to know this. The preliminary
210. 8:23hearing was scheduled for 2 weeks later.
211. 8:25I didn't attend. My attorney went on my
212. 8:28behalf and called me afterward. Your
213. 8:30father's been charged with felony
214. 8:32assault and reckless endangerment. The
215. 8:34judge set bail at $50,000.
216. 8:37Did he post it? His daughter tried. Emma
217. 8:40Peterson, but there's a complication. My
218. 8:43attorney's voice held something like
219. 8:45satisfaction. The prosecutor informed
220. 8:48the court about your ownership stake in
221. 8:50Riverside Senior Living and about the 6
222. 8:52years of financial support you provided
223. 8:54your father. And the judge wants a full
224. 8:57accounting. Your father's been claiming
225. 8:59elder financial abuse that you're
226. 9:01stealing from him, but the records show
227. 9:04the opposite. You've paid approximately
228. 9:06$400,000
229. 9:08in facility fees, medical expenses and
230. 9:11living costs that your father couldn't
231. 9:13afford. $400,000.
232. 9:15Seeing the number stated so plainly made
233. 9:17my chest tight. The prosecutor is
234. 9:19amending the charges. Your father's
235. 9:22accusations of theft, made to facility
236. 9:24staff and other residents while you were
237. 9:27actually supporting him financially,
238. 9:29constitute fraud and defamation. They're
239. 9:32also investigating whether his gambling
240. 9:34debts created a financial motive for the
241. 9:36assault. What does that mean? They think
242. 9:39he was hoping you'd die so he could
243. 9:41inherit from you. He's been telling
244. 9:43people you're wealthy, but you won't
245. 9:44help him. He didn't realize the help was
246. 9:47already happening. I went back to
247. 9:49Riverside 2 weeks after the incident.
248. 9:52Diana met me in her office. How are you
249. 9:54recovering? Physically, I'm okay. The
250. 9:57rest I shrugged. I need to talk about my
251. 10:00father's eviction. He has until the end
252. 10:03of the month. Can we extend it? 60 days.
253. 10:06Diana looked surprised. After what he
254. 10:09did? He's still my father and he has
255. 10:11nowhere to go. Emma won't take him. My
256. 10:14brother lives in Alaska and hasn't
257. 10:16spoken to dad in 10 years. I can't just
258. 10:19let him be homeless. You have no
259. 10:21obligation. I know, but I can't be the
260. 10:23person who abandons him. Even after
261. 10:26this. Can we find him a smaller unit?
262. 10:29Something he can actually afford on his
263. 10:31fixed income. Diana studied me for a
264. 10:34long moment. There's a studio apartment
265. 10:36in building A. It's one of our
266. 10:38subsidized units for low-income
267. 10:40residents. Basic, but clean. The rent
268. 10:43would be 1,500 a month. He can cover
269. 10:46that with his social security. Are you
270. 10:48sure about this? After everything. I
271. 10:50thought about the water closing over my
272. 10:53head. The weight in my lungs. My family
273. 10:56watching me drown. I'm sure I can't
274. 10:58enable him anymore. No more secret
275. 11:00payments. No more covering his debts. He
276. 11:03gets the subsidized apartment and his
277. 11:05pension. What he does with it is his
278. 11:08choice. And if he can't manage, then
279. 11:10that's his consequence to face. But I
280. 11:13won't be the one who makes him homeless.
281. 11:15Diana nodded slowly. I'll draw up the
282. 11:18new lease. Month-to-month only. Any
283. 11:20violation and he's out immediately. And
284. 11:23the restraining order stays in place.
285. 11:25Thank you. The criminal trial was set
286. 11:28for 4 months out. My father took a plea
287. 11:30deal. Two years probation, mandatory
288. 11:33anger management, and restitution for my
289. 11:36medical bills. The restitution was
290. 11:38symbolic. He had no money to pay it, but
291. 11:41it was on record. Emma stopped speaking
292. 11:43to me entirely. She blamed me for dad's
293. 11:46legal troubles, for his humiliation, for
294. 11:49everything. My brother called once,
295. 11:52briefly to say he wasn't surprised. The
296. 11:54lifeguard, Marcus, checked on me twice.
297. 11:57He'd been worried. I thanked him for
298. 11:59saving my life. He said it was his job,
299. 12:02but I could tell the incident had
300. 12:04affected him, too. Six weeks after
301. 12:06everything happened, I drove back to
302. 12:08Riverside. I didn't go inside. I just
303. 12:11sat in the parking lot, watching
304. 12:13residents come and go. My phone buzzed.
305. 12:16A text from an unknown number. This is
306. 12:19Margaret Chen, the lady who witnessed
307. 12:21the pool incident. I wanted you to know
308. 12:23many of us are very glad you're okay.
309. 12:26Your father moved to building A last
310. 12:28week. We're keeping an eye on things. I
311. 12:30replied, "Thank you. That means more
312. 12:33than you know." I started the car and
313. 12:35drove home. The water nightmares were
314. 12:37getting better. The fear was fading.
315. 12:40What remained was something harder to
316. 12:42name. A kind of grief for the family I'd
317. 12:44wanted, but never had. And underneath
318. 12:47it, surprisingly, was relief. I'd spent
319. 12:49six years secretly supporting my father,
320. 12:52hoping it would make him less angry,
321. 12:54less bitter, less cruel. It hadn't. The
322. 12:57money hadn't fixed anything because the
323. 13:00problem was never about money. The pool
324. 13:02had taught me something my father never
325. 13:04intended. I didn't have to drown trying
326. 13:07to save someone who'd push me under. I
327. 13:09could finally let go.