A parent’s worst fear is losing a child, but sadly, hundreds of children drown every year. Most of them drown in their own pools or in the pools of family and friends. No matter how well parents watch their children or how well they secure their pools, accidents still happen.
One family recently caught their toddler trying to climb up the ladder of their pool.
They took the ladder out so that it was not inside the pool and secured it nearby. Still, it was close enough that the toddler could have easily fallen into the pool and drowned.
They caught the incident on video.
They only looked away for a couple of seconds, but that’s all it took for the toddler to get to the ladder. They hope their video will make more parents aware of the dangers of swimming pools and how fast children can drown.
The father of the child, Keith Wyman, said:
“When we put the padlock on it, I felt secure. I had the warm, fuzzy feeling inside. This came with the package that we purchased so it was perfect. I thought we were good. Cody was no more than four feet away from me. I turned away for one second, and when I turned away, he was already halfway up it. I think if this was one flat all the way up, (Cody) wouldn’t have been able to climb that.”
Drownings are very common, and the statistics surrounding them are terrifying.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission:
“350 children under the age of 5 drown in pools each year nationwide. The majority of the deaths occur in June, July, and August; most in backyard pools. Among unintentional injuries, drowning is the second-leading cause of death to this age group after motor vehicle accidents.
“In some Sunbelt states, such as California, Florida, and Arizona, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death to children under 5. Another 2,600 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year for near-drowning incidents. Some of these submersion accidents result in permanent brain damage.”
Even more alarming are the statistics about how young the children are and how fast the drowning accidents occur.
The CPSC also added:
“Three quarters (75%) of the submersion victims were between 1 and 3 years old; more than half (65%) of this group were boys. Toddlers, in particular, often do something unexpected because their capabilities change daily.
“At the time of the incidents, most victims were being supervised by one or both parents. Almost half (46%) of the victims were last seen in the house; one quarter (23%) were last seen in the yard or on the porch or patio, and 31% were in or around the pool before the accident. In all, 69% of the children were not expected to be at or in the pool, yet they were found in the water.
“Submersion incidents involving children usually happen in familiar surroundings. 65% of the incidents happened in a pool owned by the child’s family and a third of the incidents happened in a pool owned by friends or relatives. Pool submersions involving children happen quickly. A child can drown in the time it takes to answer a phone. More than 3 out of 4 of the victims (77%) had been missing from sight for 5 minutes or less.”
Parents can prevent drownings by supervising their children around a pool at all times.
It’s also a good idea to keep fences and gates around pools and removing or pulling up ladders that give kids easy access to the water. Learning CPR is also important since it could save a child’s life.
Pools can be a lot of fun for adults and children, but they can also be dangerous.
Never let your guard down, and make sure your kids are aware of the dangers of swimming pools and water. These accidents can be avoided.
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So I’m posting this video after I found my 2 year old Cody trying to climb our pool ladder when it was closed and locked I just got it with the new pool Tonya and I stress you to watch your kids around pools I will be buying a new type of ladder!! “Kid has some serious upper body strength “
Posted by Keith Wyman on Friday, June 15, 2018
