Burlingame Man Dies While Trying To Save Children From Electrified Pool In Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS (KPIX 5) -- A Bay Area man died trying to save his children from a Southern California pool after it became electrified.

Jim Tramel, a tech executive from Burlingame, jumped into the pool in a Palm Springs backyard to save his children when they struggled in the water and began turning blue.

Neighbors were surprised by the death.

"Very unusual that we would have something like this happen. You always hear about maybe an accident, or near drowning, or something like that," neighbor Scott Aaronson said.

Tramel's 9-year-old daughter was listed in critical condition. Her 10-year-old sister was in stable condition.

The homes in the neighborhood were built in the 1950's, and investigators believe there was faulty wiring in the pool's lights.

"Lights are required by national electric code to be grounded and bonded and that is one of the primary things that should be inspected at least twice a year. Is that the grounding is intact the bonding is intact and the G-F-I  is present and working," Stephen Little of Claro Pools said.

A total of seven people were shocked in the pool. Four others were farther away from the lights, and suffered less serious injuries.

Tramel worked at a computer company called RevJet.