Fire officials in Orange County have seen more swimming pool and drowning accidents this year already than they did in 2013, The Orange County Register reports.
On Sunday, emergency responders rushed to a community pool on Keywood Lane in Santa Ana to help revive a 2-year-old boy.
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A 4-year-old boy died in a swimming pool accident after he drowned in a spa pool located in the backyard of a home.
According to a KCAL9 news report, the incident occurred in the 2600 block of Mercedes Drive. The boy was trapped in the swimming pool when one of his hands got caught in a suction drain.
Fire officials said the boy’s great-grandparents were watching him and tried to rescue the child. It is not clear how long the boy was underwater.
Firefighters performed CPR on the boy and took him to the hospital where he later died.
Officials say this is a tragic accident that could have been completely avoided.
Upon investigation, officials found that Continue reading →
A 3-year-old girl died in a swimming pool accident after she drowned in a community pool in Irvine while being watched by a caregiver, The Daily Pilot reports. Officials say the toddler was being watched by a caregiver at Stone Creek Swim Club in Irvine when she “disappeared.” The caregiver and lifeguards searched for about 10 minutes before they found the child in a spa. Irvine police and firefighters attempted to resuscitate the child. She was transported to an area trauma center where she was pronounced dead.
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Two separate swimming pool accidents in Riverside County have left one toddler dead and another critically injured. Zachary Gordon Nahsohn, 2, of Murrieta, died June 4, just a few days after he was found floating in a backyard hot tub in Murrieta. On the same day, June 4, 2013, another 2-year-old girl in Murrieta was in critical condition, a day after she was found in a backyard pool. Police officials arrived at the home and began performing CPR.
The child was in full cardiac arrest, but regained a pulse in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. She remains in critical condition. Officials say the girl was found in the pool after a parent lost sight of her. In Zachary’s case, the boy had been playing in the hot tub with other children during a party at the family’s home when an adult noticed him floating facedown in the water. He was taken to a regional hospital where he died.
Justin Vargas-Smith, 3, died after a backyard swimming pool accident at a relative’s home. According to a news report in The Tribune News. Justin was playing near the above ground pool at a residence in the 100 block of Vine Street on May 4, 2013 when he fell in. Police say the boy and his family members had just returned from a local park where they had been celebrating a birthday.
Ten minutes after unloading the car, Justin’s mother came out of the house looking for her son. She found him submerged under the solar cover of the pool. Attempts to resuscitate Justin were unsuccessful. He was transported to an area hospital where he died. Justin’s parents have been identified as Brittany Vargas and Justin Smith. Police are investigating this tragic drowning incident.
Swimming Pool Accident Statistics
A 3-year-old girl is in critical condition after nearly drowning in a backyard swimming pool accident the evening of March 16, 2013. According to a CBS Los Angeles news report, the incident occurred at a home in the 11500 block of Bonham Avenue in Pacoima. The girl’s mother told officials that the child had been “out of sight only a few minutes.” She was found face down in the mostly empty pool in two feet of putrid storm water that had gotten into the pool. The mother was able to pull her daughter out of the water before rescuers arrived. She was transported in critical condition to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
Young Children and Drowning Dangers
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates. In 2009, among children 1 to 4 years old who died from an unintentional injury, more than 30 percent died from drowning. Among children ages 1 to 4, most drowning and near drowning incidents occur in home swimming pools. Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children in that age group than any other cause except birth defects. Among children between the ages of 1 and 14, fatal drowning remains the second leading cause of injury-related death behind car crashes. Near-drowning incidents can result in brain damage because oxygen to the brain is cut off when a person is submerged.
Malvrick Donkor, 14, a high school student, was fatally injured in a swimming pool accident during a lesson. According to a news report in The Gothamist, the teenager was allegedly underwater and unnoticed by instructors for 17 minutes while other students swam around him. Surveillance tapes showed Donkor climbing down a ladder into the deep end and then sinking. He was not noticed until another student spotted his body underwater and told the teacher, who pulled him out. The male swim teacher has since been placed on administrative leave and the pool has been closed. The incident is under investigation.
I offer my deepest condolences to the family members and friends of Malvrick Donkor for their tragic and heartbreaking loss. Donkor was reportedly an immigrant from Ghana. His loved ones will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers.
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August 16, 2012–Garden Grove, CA–Two girls were rushed to the hospital after receiving jolts of electricity in their family pool Monday, according to ABC News sources.
While it is unclear how the pool became electrified, the shocks that Tiffany Cruz, 23, and Bianca Cruz, 15, received were real enough. The family speculated that recent work on an underwater pool light may have been the cause. Both girls are expected to recover, although one remains hospitalized.
My sincere wishes for a speedy recovery go out to the victims in this case.
Two children were taken to a hospital after a swimming pool accident in which they nearly drowned. According to The Orange County Register, the near drowning incident occurred at a community pool near Lamplighter and Groveland, the afternoon of June 21, 2012. Lifeguards were reported to have been in the area when the incident was reported. The two children were seen crying and vomiting when paramedics arrived. Both children were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. The extent of their injuries is not known.
My thoughts and prayers are with these injured children. I wish them the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
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Emily Su, 6, was killed in a Los Angeles swimming pool accident, which officials say occurred during a block party, the night of May 28, 2012. According to a CBS Los Angeles news report, the fatal drowning incident occurred in the 4900 block of Indianola Way in La Canada Flintridge. Officials say Su was playing with a 5-year-old girl when that child came into the house, soaking wet. Su was found in the pool and they were unable to revive her. The pool had a fence around it, but it appears that the fence may have been damaged. An investigation is underway.
My deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Emily Su following this tragic drowning accident. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
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