The estate of Paul Nakashima, who drowned in an Excalibur Hotel & Casino swimming pool, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Las Vegas resort.

Nakashima, a 60-year-old Canadian from Burnaby, British Columbia, was celebrating his birthday in Las Vegas when the incident occurred on June 15, 2023. According to the lawsuit, he slipped and hit his head in a shallow section of the pool. The complaint alleges that the lifeguard failed to check on him after the fall.

Around 4:20 pm, other guests noticed Nakashima floating underwater and alerted the lifeguard, who then attempted a rescue. Despite CPR efforts by a guest and emergency response, Nakashima was pronounced dead at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center. Doctors reported he had been oxygen-deprived for approximately 45 minutes.

The lawsuit, filed by Nakashima's estate and sisters Sandra Waithe and Ruth Nakashima, seeks $15,000 in damages. It alleges that New Castle, LLC (doing business as Excalibur) failed to properly train its lifeguards and maintain adequate safety standards as required by the Southern Nevada Health District's Aquatic Facility Regulations.

The incident occurred at the Excalibur Court Pool, one of four pools in the casino's outdoor pool complex. Nakashima, who worked as a security officer at the Vancouver Convention Center, was known for his love of travel and poker.

According to the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, the United States experiences over 4,500 unintentional drowning deaths annually. Nevada's drowning death rate of 1.45 per 100,000 people exceeds the national average of 1.31. Adult pool drownings typically result from slip and fall incidents, medical emergencies, or substance impairment.

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