DANVILLE - Montour County Coroner Scott Lynn confirmed that no "traumatic injuries" contributed to the death of 6-year-old George Samuel Roberts III, who was found in approximately four feet of water in the swimming pool at Knoebels Amusement Resort Wednesday.
Lynn, who conducted an autopsy on the boy's body Friday, said it will take eight to 12 weeks to reveal any medical conditions that may have played a factor.
He said he was not prepared to call the death a drowning until he has more information, but initial reports that the boy had a head or neck injury were confirmed to be incorrect by the autopsy, Lynn said.
Police said an 11-year-old boy found George at the bottom of the pool about 20 feet from the pool's edge, at approximately 12:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Lifeguards and the park's staff paramedic were alerted and responded. CPR helped resuscitate the boy, and the Elysburg Fire Co. Paramedic Unit transported him to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. He died about 5:06 p.m. Wednesday at the hospital.
Roberts lived with his mother and stepfather, Ann Marie and Daniel Howey, in Wilkes-Barre. The boy's father, George Roberts Jr., is from Hazleton.
The death was the first from an accident at the park in its 85 years of existence, said Joe Muscato said, public relations manager for Knoebels.
Any witnesses who may have been at the Knoebels' pool before or during this incident are asked to contact Locust Township police at 799-5806.
The Columbia County District Attorney's Office, Ralpho Township police, the Montour County Coroner's Office and Knoebels Amusement Resort staff are assisting Locust Township police with the investigation.
No violations at pool
An inspection of the pool at Knoebels found no safety or water quality violations, said Jeff Blystone, acting director of the Bureau of Community Health Systems.
Crystal Pool was previously inspected on May 25, and no violations were found at that time either, he said. A review of records dating back to 2000 reveal Knoebels was cited nine times over the past 11 years due to inadequate pH levels or problems with pool test kits. None of the violations posed a safety hazard or resulted in closure, Blystone said.
"What I found is that Knoebels has an excellent facility overall," he said.
Muscato said five lifeguards were on duty at the time of the accident Wednesday, but he didn't know how many swimmers were there.
The state requires one lifeguard for every 4,000 square feet of water surface. Crystal Pool is 20,000 square feet.