Hospital Officials Stress Pool Safety
Photo by Filipa Rodrigues for KUT NewsBy Chip Skambis
The Dell Children’s Medical Center dealt with five accidental child drowning incidents from Thursday through Saturday. Four of the children were saved and one died. Now the hospital’s chief medical officer, Doctor Pat Crocker, is asking parents to keep a close eye on their kids in the pool. He says most children don’t have a chance to make any noise before going under.
“Children who drown who are 5 and under usually just slip under the water,” Crocker said. “It’s a silent event—and they’re found on the bottom of the pool.”
Crocker also recommends that kids wear floatation devices as well as receive swimming lessons as soon as possible. He says even one-year-olds can be trained to flip over and swim to the side of a pool.
For more information, check out the Centers for Disease Control guide on swimming pool safety.
