‘NOT ON MY WATCH’
Drowning injuries and fatalities are so commonplace that the stories could fill up whole newspapers.
The CDC estimates that about 10 people die from drowning in the U.S. every day. Children ages 1 through 4 have the highest drowning rates and most of those drownings happen in home swimming pools. Drowning events are real, tragic, frequently preventable,and much more than just statistics.
There are measures that service technicians can take to promote drowning awareness.
Speak to parents about removing toys and other temptations from the pool area. Encourage parents to learn about the layers of protection:pool covers, gates and alarms. Remind parents there is no substitution for total supervision around the pool area.
Service professionals are in peoples’ backyards every day, and in a unique position to point out danger areas, but may not do so unless the drowning problem is brought home to them.
To that end, the following is a description of just some of the drowning incidents that have recently occurred.
Clover, South Carolina, May 25 —
A 4-year-old girl went missing from her apartment and was found dead in a nearby swimming pool.
North Brunswick, New Jersey, May 25 —
A 4-year-old boy died at the hospital after he was found in a swimming pool.
Lehi, Utah, May 26 —
13 year-old Beckham Cram died by drowning in a swimming pool.
Columbia, South Carolina, May 26 —
5-year-old Capri Robinson died after she was found unresponsive in an apartment pool.
Gaston County, North Carolina, May 26 —
Two children, believed to be under 10 years old, drowned in a home swimming pool. No details were reported.
Gloucester County, New Jersey, May 26 —
11-year-old London Marie and her 14-year-old brother drowned in a home swimming pool while playing Marco Polo.
They died at the hospital.
Katy, Texas, May 27 —
A 4-year-old boy swimming with his family drowned in an apartment swimming pool.
Hernando County, Florida, May 27 —
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected while the parents were fixing the child’s closet.
Polk County, Florida, May 27 —
A 7-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool where he had been swimming while the family was attending a Memorial Day party at a relative’s home.
Cambria County, Pennsylvania, May 27 —
18-year-old Tahjmir Seeney was found at the bottom of a Holiday Inn swimming pool. He was at the hotel celebrating his high school graduation. He later died at the hospital.
South Plainfield, New Jersey, May 28 —
2-year-old Kheitan Roman died three days after he was found unconscious in a swimming pool.
Tucson, Arizona, May 28 —
A 3-year-old girl died of drowning at a community pool.
Upshur County, Texas, May 28 —
A 2-year-old boy died after he was discovered missing from his home and was found by a parent in their swimming pool.
Orlando, Florida, May 29 —
13-year-old Anna Beaumont was discovered unresponsive in a Discovery Cove theme park pool. She died the following day.
From page 18
Delray Beach, Florida, May 29 —
A 5-year-old autistic boy wandered away from a home under his grandmother’s care and was found a few blocks away in a swimming pool. When emergency responders arrived, they found a bystander performing CPR.
He died at the hospital.
Manatee County, Florida, May 31 —
A 2 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected while the mother and child were visiting at a friend’s home.
Orange County, Florida, May 31 —
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Ava Maria, Florida, June 1 —
6-year-old Genesis Abigail Pineda was discovered floating and lifeless in the Ava Maria Water Park pool by an off-duty policeman who was there with his kids. Her care giver had been looking for a place to put his stuff.
Scioto County, Ohio, June 2 —
11-year-old Mackenzie Cornell died after drowning in a Quality Inn swimming pool while attending a pool party. Her 9-year-old sister, who couldn’t swim well, fell into the deep end, and Mackenzie attempted to rescue her.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, June 3 —
8-year-old Ryan Amichette was found in a neighbor’s pool.
The homeowner (who did not know the boy) woke from a nap, looked outside, and discovered the boy’s clothes by the pool and the boy floating in the water.
Responding officers jumped in the pool to retrieve the child and began life saving measures, but he died.
Orange County, Florida, June 4 —
A 13-year-old autistic child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the shallow end of the family’s swimming pool where he had been playing in the water.
The child knew how to swim and would have pool time every day as being in the water was a soothing mechanism.
It is currently unknown if the child suffered a medical event in relation to the incident.
Brockton, Massachusetts, June 8 —
A 2-year-old boy drowned in an aboveground pool.
Emergency responders arrived to find a family member already providing CPR, but the child was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Osceola County, Florida, June 7 —
A nearly 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the Airbnb undetected. At the time of the incident, the family was vacationing from another state.
