Jury awards Pella $788,000 in pool light lawsuit

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) - A jury has awarded the city of Pella $788,000 over improperly installed underwater lights at a pool where two boys drowned.

After three hours of deliberation Wednesday, the jury found Central Electric Co. breached its contract with the central Iowa city when it failed disclose it installed galvanized steel electrical piping instead of the red brass specified in construction plans.

The underwater lights were last used nearly six years ago. Pella sued Central Electric in 2006 after the fixtures rusted. Company attorneys told the jury the lights were still safe and would work if the city used them.

Two Kansas City, Mo., boys - 14-year-old Gael Chrispin and 15-year-old Nehmson Sanon - drowned in the pool July 14, the week the trial began. It's not known if inadequate lighting was a factor.