New Stories of Near Drownings
I added this section to show people just how easily and often drownings and Near Drownings Happen:
2008 Near Drownings
Girl, 11, very critical after near-drowning off Lantana Road
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, January 27, 2008
An 11-year-old girl was taken to JFK Medical Center in very critical condition after someone found her face-down in the Smith Farms development pool near Lantana Road at around 2 p.m. today. Strangely, the girl was lying with her body on the pool deck and only her face in the water, said Palm Beach County sheriff's spokeswoman Teri Barbera. Bystanders attempted CPR until paramedics arrived, Barbera said. The girl had been attending a birthday party.
Near drownings concern local fire chief
A dramatic increase in near drownings of children in Murrieta has the city's fire chief concerned. So far this year, four children have nearly drown in Murrieta ---- twice the average number of such cases typically in the city, Fire Chief Phil Armentrout said.
"And we are just starting to get into the hot months," he said. "This is a very disturbing trend."
Already this year, three children 12 or younger have drowned in pools or Jacuzzis, only one less than all of 2004, according to the Riverside County coroner's office.
According to the National Safety Council, about 300 children 4 and younger die each year in swimming pools.
"By all means, you absolutely have to watch them at all times," Armentrout said. "You can use all these great safety devices, but the best thing to do to prevent this from happening is watch them."
Tom Smith's son, Colten, died after sustaining brain damage from falling into a Jacuzzi in Murrieta in December 2000. Colten was 7 when he died in July.
Since the accident that would ultimately claim his son's life, Tom Smith has strived to educate adults and children about pool safety. He formed the non-profit Colten Smith Foundation and does presentations about pool safety at area schools.
There are many Web sites with information about pool safety, including
Toronto infants recovering in hospital after near drowning in bathtub
TORONTO - Two infants are in hospital after a near-drowning in a bathtub in a northwest Toronto home.
The children, believed to be a one-year-old girl and a 10-month-old boy, were rushed to hospital at around 8 a.m. The girl was reportedly unconscious when paramedics arrived, but was revived on the way to hospital.
Toronto police Sgt. Peter Stehouwer says it appears the mother was bathing the children in the tub with the tap running and the plug removed.
He says one of the children had a facecloth that may have plugged the drain and caused the water level to rise.
Stehouwer says it's believed the mother was temporarily away from the tub at the time and there is "nothing to prove criminal or malicious intent."
WHITMAN COUNTY, Wash. - A 7 year-old boy who nearly drowned after falling into a pool has been taken to Sacred Heart medical center and is listed in critical condition.
The incident happened in Whitman County in the 1000 block of Klaveano road and Highway 195.
Initial reports indicated that the child had not been seen by family members in approximately 30 minutes. The father of the child indicated that the cover of the in-ground pool had a visible tear near one of the corners leading him to believe that the child had fallen into the pool.
August and September 2007
Stem Cell Therapy for Boy After Near Drowning Leaves Him in Vegetative State
By Wendy Victora, Northwest Florida Daily News, February 5, 2007
Slumped in a blue reclining chair, Michael sits in his father’s front room.
Underneath the teenager’s sweatpants, the fifteen year old wears powder-blue diapers.
Moving forward and to the right, his head droops, only to jerk up as Michael tries to make eye contact with others.
After traveling 9,000 miles for adult stem cell therapy, this jerky head movement could perhaps be a sign that the treatment he received is working.
Doctor’s injected stem cells several times into his bloodstream and spine while his father sat hoping for positive results in the Chinese hospital.
And even though David, Michael’s father, is afraid to hope that his son will make some sort of recovery because he doesn’t want to be heartbroken again; he is equally afraid not to.
"Believe me, when you're in this condition, you look for any change you can," he said.
After becoming intoxicated at a beach party with other teens, the then fourteen year old Michael drowned. He was resuscitated but the damage was done. Extensive brain damage occurred when he went without oxygen for a period between 10 and 30 minutes.
Just like Terry Schiavo was lost in a vegetative state, Michael has been locked in this persistent condition since his drowning in June of 2005.
After communicating with other parents of brain-injured children on an internet support group, David decided to look into stem cell therapy.
"Parents have to be careful. It's your child. You'll do anything. People will take advantage of you," said David, who added that there are a number of alternative therapies available.
But he said that the most hope was offered by adult stem cell therapy.
"It's not a magic bullet. On the other hand, it's not black magic, either," he said.
Certain stem cells therapies are being used in the United States today, however, the procedure is limited to experiments and specific diseases such as leukemia.
Since a patient receives healthy bone marrow stem cells from a donor to replace abnormal ones, a bone marrow transplant is technically stem cell therapy.
But there are no stem cell therapies available for neurological injuries such as Michael’s.
David’s internet research returned few results. He found that only three countries, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and China, offered the kind of stem cell therapy Michael needed.
It was a mix of eastern and western medicine, and the $20,000 six-week hospital stay included fee, that made China his choice.
David and his wife of two years, Dana, flew to China with Michael in late November. It was trip made possible with money withdrawn from David’s 401(k).
Michael was in and out of wheelchairs and airline seats during the 30-hour trip. Not a simple task considering Michael is basically as David says, a “152 pound infant”.
Michael’s spinal cord was injected with four doses of umbilical cord stem cells over the six-week course of treatment. A fifth cord blood stem cell infusion was administered intravenously.
The immature stem cells should stimulate a response within the next three months according to the Chinese doctors.
"What I'm personally hoping for is in the next couple of months (that he'll be able) to give me a yes or no," David said. "(The) long-term goal is that he'll come back, 'Where have I been for a year-and-a-half?' " his father added wistfully.
The things that Michael can do are still more difficult to list than that things he cannot. He can’t swallow anything, not even his own saliva, so he has a feeding tube to help him through the process. None of his extremities move voluntarily, but he still has sensation in all of them.
Michael has no response when his father plays music that Michael downloaded before the accident. His eyes cannot track colors or movement.
He laughs randomly, and occasionally - heartbreakingly - cries.
Michael was plagued by a skin condition since the brain injury, but that has at least disappeared.
But it is difficult to measure more signs of progress.
David has not slept through one single night since the accident because Michael hasn’t either.
A baby monitor in his room alerts his father when Michael wakes up. He may just be awake; or it’s possible that his position needs to be shifted or that his diaper needs to be changed. Michael can’t tell his father.
David wakes up every time Michael does. His father says that Michael’s body clock appears to have been permanently injured from the brain damage.
"It would be pretty bad if he died on my watch," said David. "Right now, it's just maintaining him physically until the cognitive part kicks in."
For now, David just focuses on the moment that is right in front of him - on surviving that one, and the one immediately following.
Until Michael reaches the age of 22, he will attend Silver Sands School during the day.
David and his son had talked about Terri Schiavo and how her life ended. David thinks back to those past moments on occasion.
"If you're asking me what he would have wanted, he would not have wanted this," David said. "But he does not have that choice."
For now, David is looking for proof that he has gotten even the smallest fraction of his son back, evidence that the adult stem cell therapy is working.
"All we gotta do is make it through another day, another day, another day. I can't look way into the future," he said.
"If I look too far, I might see the truth, you know, and I don't know if I want to."
Infant Near Drowning
KOTV - 9/12/2007 11:45 AM - Updated 9/13/2007 11:00 AM
Authorities are investigating a near drowning of an infant in west Tulsa Wednesday morning. Tulsa Police say the incident occurred at an apartment complex in the 2300 block of South Maybelle shortly before 9:30 a.m. The baby was taken to a Tulsa hospital by EMSA in critical condition.
Tulsa Fire Captain Larry Bowles tells the News On 6, firefighters responded to an apparent accidental drowning of a 7-month-old infant in a bathtub. Captain Bowles says at this time there is no reason to believe this incident was nothing more than an accident.
In Orange County California alone it is reported that 9 children have died from drownings but no report on near drownings...
Here is what I found in my research
It was a crowded pool at a birthday party in a Villa Park home. It was a perfect day for a party - warm and sunny. There were plenty of kids in the pool and even more adults standing around the pool watching them. But not one of those kids or adults noticed 4-year-old Aurora Pruitt of Moreno Valley slip underwater and drown in the shallow end of the pool, according to an article in The Orange County Register.
The article states that there were as many as 15 children in the pool ranging in age from 3 to 16 years old. According to the report, five adults were watching the children. They made the horrible discovery at lunch time when all the children got out of the pool except for little Aurora. A parent who saw her at the bottom of the shallow end of the pool, pulled her out and tried to resuscitate her, but didn't succeed. Paramedics rushed her first to Chapman Medical Center and later to Children's Hospital of Orange County in Orange, where she died just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.
According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, 18 children under the age of 18 have drowned in Orange County since January and nine of those children who drowned were under 13 years of age.
These are truly alarming numbers for Orange County. Drowning is the leading cause of death for young children in Orange County and California where backyard pools are the norm rather than the exception. Pools are a great resource and a pool parties are a great activity for the summer. But they can also be a liability. If a child drowns in your backyard pool under your watch, you could be held liable.
In this case, it seems as if adults were watching the children in the pool, but the pool was just too crowded and no one was in charge of pool safety. Also remember, it takes but a few minutes for a child to silently slip underwater and become unconscious. These drownings or near-drownings, if they don't result in death, could result in severe brain damage. Do not let this happen to your children or any child under your watch.
Here are some tips to prevent pool drowning and promote safety at your pool party from the American Red Cross' Web site:
Make sure that parents
Make sure that parents or caretakers of all invited guests are aware that the party is a pool party.
If possible, have a lifeguard on duty.
If not hiring a lifeguard, identify or appoint responsible adults to supervise the pool when it is being used. These individuals must understand and accept responsibility for monitoring the pool and should be trained in CPR, first aid and water safety.
Establish rules for safety such as prohibiting all dives into shallow water; walking - no running on the deck; not permitting glass in the pool area
Do not serve alcoholic beverages to guests who are or will be participating in water activities.
Maintain cleanliness of water. Water should be chemically treated and tested regularly.
Check with the homeowner's insurance company to determine the limits of coverage. Additional coverage for the event may be required.
Our home has have a rockscape pool with swim through, waterfalls and jumping rocks. We have parties that include many children, some who can not swim. We have two parties a year speciallically for the children of our law firm team members. Since I am very aware of the number of back yard pool drownings of children each year and that a homeowner is nearly strictly liable for a home pool drowning, we are constantly aware and vigilent when we have guests.
Our pool rules include at least one parent of each non-swimmer child must at least have their feet in the water while their child is in the water (we have a beach entry to the pool). Another rule is that there is always one parent at a time that is assigned as the "life guard" to watch the entire pool. Our "life guard" walks the edges of the pool (it is free formed boulders in a jungle setting) while on duty as a way to keep the "life guard" focused on pool safety rather than socializing. Many times we have pairs of "life guards", usually mothers who walk the pool together, watching the children and chatting.
After reading about the Villa Park drowning I am considering actually hiring a life guard for pool parties rather than counting on parents.
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Two Orange County toddlers drown in backyard pool This week was a tragic one for a Garden Grove family that lost two toddlers, who drowned in the family's backyard swimming pool Wednesday. Khloe Hyunh was only 21 months old and her cousin, Jason Nguyen was 2 years old. The children's mothers are sisters, according to an article in the Orange County Register. Officials say that it took only minutes for the two children to slip away into the deep, green, murky water and drowned in the backyard pool, which hadn't been used for a while. The mother of one of the toddlers was in the house and had let the two kids out of her sight for about 15 minutes, the article said. Doctors tried to save the children, but both died. Officials said the pool had a fence, but are trying to determine if the gate had been left open. Here we are. It's only a few days into spring and already we have two deaths in Orange County. Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for children under the age of 5, but officials unanimously agree that these tragedies are 100 percent preventable.
But children don't only drown in backyard pools. In-ground spas and inflatable pools can also pose significant dangers. Inside the house, young children are at risk of drowning in bathtubs, large buckets and even toilets. In the back yard pool drowning cases we have handled, the pool owner has been held liable to the family of the drowning victim in every case. Pool owners, be warned. If a child or even an adult, downs in your pool, more likely then not, you will be held financially responsible. Meanwhile, here are some tips from Safe Kids U.S.A, a nonprofit dedicated to child safety: Never leave a young child unsupervised in or around water, even for a moment. Never allow children to swim without adult supervision. Always designate a responsible adult to serve as the "water watcher" - a supervisor whose sole responsibility is to constantly observe children in or near the water. Reviewed Unintentional Drownings by Primary Supervisor at Time of Drowning Supervisors should maintain continuous visual and auditory contact with children in or near the water, and should stay in close proximity (waterside) so that they can effectively intervene if an emergency situation should arise. While there is no specific recommended ratio of supervisors to child swimmers, the number of supervisors should increase when many children are swimming, younger or inexperienced swimmers are present, or the swimming area is large.
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These are just June and July of 2007... And I can find one everyday!
I hope that these stories will help people to understand that No parent is perfect, and not one parent can say they have always made sure their children were safe... You think about it and I can imagine the times you think of that's right I sure was lucky that time I turned a blind eye for a minute and nothing serious happened to my child!
YES! Without a doubt there are the rare times that you can honestly say a parent was neglectful and you know one day something was going to happen to one of those children! But I hear very few cases like that... A drowning or near drowning accident can happen to the very rich as well as the very poor and all those in between! That is the point we want to get across!
Infant dies after being hospitalized for near drowning in Hollywood
By Sofia Santana
Sun-Sentinel.com
Posted June 11 2007, 9:22 PM
| Hollywood -- A 1-year old boy who this afternoon was found motionless in his family's backyard pool has died at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, police said. |
SOMERVILLE, Ohio -- A baby was hospitalized Tuesday morning after his mother found him unresponsive in a bathtub, police said.
Authorities said 11-month-old Cody Webb, of Somerville, was not breathing when his mother, Tiffany Baker, found him in a bathtub around 10:30 a.m.
The child was flown by helicopter to McCullough-Hyde Hospital in Oxford and then to Children's Hospital, where he remains in unspecified condition.
"They said he was breathing on his own every three minutes," said neighbor Starlene Rumpler.
The incident remains under investigation by police, but another neighbor told News 5 the mother may have gone to let in the family's three dogs, briefly leaving the baby alone in the tub.
CINCINNATI -- A Somerville mother could face charges after her baby nearly drowned in a bathtub, police said.
A neighbor told News 5 that Tiffany Baker, 19, might have left her son alone in the bath Tuesday while she let in three dogs.
Eleven-month-old Cody Webb was taken Tuesday to Children’s Hospital, where he remained Wednesday in critical condition after he stopped breathing.
“I don't know what to do about the little baby,” said his grandmother, Rhonda Webb. “If you see this baby, he's just laying there lifeless.”
Police said the incident remains under investigation, but family members said Baker would not have intentionally placed her son in danger.
“Tiffany is hysterical, she hasn't ate, she hasn't slept,” said Webb, who is the mother of Baker’s former boyfriend. “She's a mother worried about her child.”
Sources told News 5 that Baker had left Cody alone before and threatened to harm him earlier in the day, following a fight with the boy’s father.
“We're going to let the cops handle this situation,” said Webb, who said she preferred to focus on her grandson’s recovery.
She said the boy, who will turn 1 year old next month, has taken some breaths on his own but remains on life support.
“Right now he's just hanging on but he's a fighter,” Webb said. “He fought coming out and he's going to fight getting out of this.”
http://www.wlwt.com/news/13540661/detail.htmlrss=cin&psp=news
EAST HARTFORD -- A 2-year-old boy remained in critical condition this morning after he was found Sunday at the bottom of a pool during a family party, police said.
Antonio Capetillo of Hartford was attending a birthday party with his family on Elm Street in East Hartford when he went through an unlocked gate surrounding an above-ground swimming pool and fell into the water, police said.
Antonio was trying to get inside the gate most of the day, and at one point it was left unlocked, police said. The tot then climbed up the stairs and fell into the pool. He was submerged underwater for three to five minutes, police said.
When police arrived at 7 p.m., a guest at the party was giving Antonio CPR. He was then taken to the Children's Medical Center in Hartford, where he remains in intensive care, police said.
Near drowning at Mission Pool
YORK -- A young girl nearly drowned Sunday in a pool at the Williamsburg-area Great Wolf Lodge, officials said. Note from Hugs Foundation We were informed the other day that Jasmine Boyd Passed away that week in the hospital! by Jean Hudson, KUAM News An 18-year-old woman who nearly drowned on Saturday while at Tagachang Beach is in stable condition at the Guam Memorial Hospital. Saturday afternoon family members pulled her from the waters off of the Yona beach. At the time she reportedly was not breathing, but a family member was able to administer CPR. Jun 17, 2007 11:52 am US/Pacific (CBS) CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. A girl, 3, was in critical condition Sunday after she nearly drowned in a hot tub during a family party, the Desert Sun reported. (© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ) Near drowning sends woman to Atlanta hospital By KEVIN ATWILL A 43-year-old woman was taken to an Atlanta hospital Sunday night after authorities say she nearly drowned in an area of Lake Lanier not designated for swimming. Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell said emergency personnel were able to revive the woman, who was not breathing when found "outside the designated swim area" near Lake Lanier Islands Resort, which had closed for the night. Kimbrell said the woman was found floating face down in about 20 feet of water "a good ways out" from shore. The woman, whose name has not been released, was taken to Grady Hospital in Atlanta, Kimbrell said. As of early this morning, her condition could not be determined. Kimbrell said the state Department of Natural Resources is handling the investigation. DNR rangers could not be reached late Sunday. Shawn Davis, spokesman for the resort, credited Hall County authorities for their quick action. "They turned what would've been a trespassing/drowning incident into a heroic recovery," Davis said. He said that area near the resort was "clearly closed and clearly marked." The rescue appears to have averted what would have been the third drowning of the year in an area of the lake where people are discouraged from swimming. Two 20-year-old men drowned in separate incidents less than 23 hours apart in mid-May. Santiago Estrada of Gainesville was found May 13 in about 15 feet of water near a private dock in Clarks Bridge Park. The body of Delfino Perez of Auburn was recovered in about six feet of water at Old Federal Park. In Sunday's incident, Kimbrell said Hall County Fire Services responded about 8:30 p.m. to reports of a woman who, according to her husband, "swam too far out." He said one of the department's marina rescue units responded, finding the woman just as darkness was beginning to fall. Kimbrell said the woman was floating face down in the water, "kind of like a dead man float." He was not sure if the couple was staying at the resort in South Hall or camping there, nor did he know if the woman had swum from the water park to near the equestrian center or vice-versa. Kimbrell said the man told authorities his wife had been swimming for about 25 minutes. Said Davis: "We are not pressing trespassing charges because they admitted they were trespassing. We do not feel the need to make a near fatal incident worse." Contact: katwill@gainesvilletimes.com, (770) 718-3401 Originally published Monday, June 25, 2007 Near Drowning A 3-year-old boy is on life support after falling into his family's pool. It happened Sunday at a home near Jones and Cheyenne. Police say he was left alone for just a few moments when he fell into the pool. On average, authorities say they respond to ten drownings a year here in the valley. Which is why water safety is so important, especially for families who have pools in their backyards. Experts can't stress the ABC&D's of water safety enough: For one local couple getting the message across to parents is very personal. "Timmy was out playing out in the backyard," Lonnie Noble explains. "We had an above ground pool and we had no ladder to the pool assuming that it was safe; that he wouldn't get in." But 18-month-old Timmy did manage to get into the pool. "He was floating in the pool and I pulled him out and started CPR," Lonnie says. "Timmy lived for eight years. He was severely handicapped due to the lack of oxygen to the brain. He was pretty much like an infant child." It's been nineteen years since that tragic accident and nine since Timmy passed away. At the time of the accident, Joe Noble was a deputy fire marshal for the Clark County Fire Department and the Nobles made it their mission to get the word out about water safety. The Nobles are all for putting up safety barriers around the pool but stress there's no substitute for constant adult supervision For parents who think it can't happen to them, the Nobles have this message: "I guess we would be one of those parents who said it wasn't going to happen that's why we took the ladder out of the pool we felt the pool was a safer place." The Nobles also want to remind parents that your pool isn't the only place a child can drown at home. Bath tubs and even buckets of waters are also threats. It's also important to remember that drownings don't only happen during the summer months. Which is why constant adult supervision year round is so important. Child Critical After Near Drowning. A five-year-old-boy remains hospitalized in critical condition after he nearly drowned in a public pool in Howard County. Police say a lifeguard spotted Darren Powell, of Columbia underwater. The lifeguard pulled the boy out of the water, and began giving the boy mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The child then began breathing. The child was taken to Howard County General Hospital, and was later flown to Children's National Medical Center in Washington. Howard County Police spokeswoman Sherry Llwellyn tells WBAL News that the boy was a camper at the Wilde Lake Junior Nature Camp, and was swimming with his fellow campers, when he went under water. Police believe this incident was accidental. Copyright 2007 by WHIOTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed Family members discovered the submerged child just before 5p.m. at their home in the 2600 block of Biskra Road. The unconscious child was rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center after being under water for several minutes, Palm Springs police Sgt. Phil Parker said. "I've seen (paramedics) do magic; I'm hoping today is another one of those days," he said. As of 9 p.m., the boy was still unconscious and in critical condition, according to Parker. Neighbors stood outside their homes, watching as emergency crews rushed the child off to the hospital. Johnny Koenke, who lives across the street from the child, couldn't believe such a thing would happen, he said. "He's a cool little kid," said Koenke, 18. Alfred Milliner has lived across the street from the child for more than a year. To his knowledge this is the first time such an incident has occurred along that street This is all very new to this area," said Milliner, 71, calling it a sad and tragic occurrence. Parker estimated that Wednesday's incident was at least the third pool-related near-drowning or drowning in the past several months. A 2-year-old Palm Springs boy drowned in his home swimming pool on May 17. That happened in the 3700 block of Calle San Antonio. On June 16, a 3-year-old girl nearly drowned in a hot tub at a home in the the 31-000 block of Avenida Del Yermo. She was in critical condition when she was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Her condition was not available Wednesday night. Parker encourages parents to keep an eye on their children around the pool and to make sure they have proper swimming equipment at all times, he said. Last Friday, 14-year-old Jake Lorentson spotted his sister, Sarah, floating in the family's back-yard pool. The girl is just 21 months old –- Jake jumped into the pool and pulled her out. She wasn't breathing, so Jake's mother performed CPR while Jake called 9-1-1. Jake says he learned what to do in an emergency from being in the boy scouts. He says he doesn't remember much about what happened last week. “I mean it's kind of all a blur after I pulled her out and got on the 911 phone. I mean it's just kind of there; I don't really know what happened I don't remember a whole lot,” Jake said. Rescue crews arrived at the home and continued life-saving efforts. They say if Jake and his mother hadn’t acted so quickly, the story might not have had a happy ending. “He is obviously an example to the community, children everywhere and even adults can take lots of classes from him,” said Casie Carpini, from the Sykesville Fire and EMS squad. “He did exactly what he needed to do and the outcome was wonderful.” Sarah had to be flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital by helicopter, but she was released the next day – and now she's back home and doing just fine. Updated at 6:34 p.m., Saturday, June 9, 2007 2-year-old seriously injured in near-drowning Advertiser Staff A 2-year-old child was seriously injured in a bizarre near-drowning incident this morning at around 10:20 a.m. after the inflatable jumper castle in which she was playing was pulled from its moorings by a strong gust of wind and flew 10 feet into the air and landed in the ocean, said Emergency Medical Services spokesman Bryan Cheplic. The incident happened at Ma'ili Beach Park. Lifeguards quickly responded and were able to pull the toddler from the water and stabilize her. The child was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition, he said. About 100 yards from that incident at around the same time, a 37-year-old male was pulled from the water in another incident that was reported as a near drowning, Cheplic said. The man, who reported chest pains and shortness of breath, was transported in serious condition to the Hawaii Medical Center West, he said.
Near-drowning at Great Wolf
The girl regained a pulse at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center.
A lifeguard pulled the lifeless 5-year-old girl from the water and began performing CPR, or cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, witnesses and officials said.
The child did not have a pulse and wasn't breathing when paramedics reached the scene about 4:45 p.m., said Thomas Schwalenberg, a York County fire battalion chief.
Lifeguards, sheriff's deputies and paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive the girl at the scene, Schwalenberg said. Doctors managed to revive her at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, Schwalenberg said, and she was flown to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk.
Authorities declined to release the girl's name Monday, and an update on her condition wasn't available.
Curtis Brown, general manager for the lodge in upper York County and regional vice president for Wisconsin-based Great Wolf Resorts, said Sunday's incident was the first of its kind at the local facility, which opened in 2005.
The water park and hotel employs more than 100 lifeguards during the summer, and about 20 guards and supervisors are present when the park is open, Brown said.
The water park sprawls across 70,000 square feet inside and another 10,000 square feet outside.
Witnesses reported the victim was found in an interior pool that included a tethered snake-like attraction that floats.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Woman stable after near-drowning
Medics transported her to the Guam Memorial Hospital, where she is under observation.
Girl, 3, In Critical Condition After Near Drowning
The girl was left unattended for five to 15 minutes around 7:15 p.m. Saturday night in a home in the 31000 block of Avenida Del Yermo in Cathedral City, the Sun reported.
Members of the party administered CPR to the girl, and police did the same when they arrived, according to Cathedral City police Sgt. Ross Patton.
"Her color and eye color looked good," he said. Patton told the Desert Sun that the near drowning was "accidental."
The girl was taken to Eisenhower Memorial Hospital in Rancho Mirage before she was transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, where the girl was listed in critical condition and was not expected to live, Patton told the Desert Sun.
"All we can do is pray," Patton said.
The Times
GAINESVILLE
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
WBAL Radio
Howard County Police spokeswoman Sherry Llwellyn explains what happened.
5-Year-Old Hospitalized
After Near Drowning In Xenia
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/storysection=local&id=5464404
Marine comes to rescue in near-drowning
TEMECULA ---- For Chris Hendrickson, it was like an angel came out of nowhere to save his son.
On Father's Day, he and his three children were at the community pool for his Temecula neighborhood. While playing with one of his two daughters, the 34-year-old Hendrickson was alerted to his 3-year-old son, Christopher, who had been pulled from the water, unconscious.
"He was limp and purple," Hendrickson said Thursday. "I grabbed him. I didn't know what to do. Then this guy came out of nowhere and asked if I knew CPR."
Hendrickson didn't, but the man who came to his son's aid did.
The suddenly appearing man turned out to be John Leiva, a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps, who ran to help. Leiva spent a couple of minutes administering CPR on little Christopher ---- Hendrickson says it seemed more like 10 minutes.
"I saw Christopher's eyes open and he was spitting up," the boy's father said. "Then he started crying and I think I did, too."
Then, just as quickly as he had showed up to help, Leiva was gone.
"I wanted to thank the guy, but he just disappeared," Hendrickson said.
Leiva was unavailable to be interviewed about what happened as he has since been deployed to Iraq, officials said.
Christopher was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and ultimately transported to Children's Hospital in San Diego. His father says the little guy seems to be just fine after the near-drowning.
"I don't know how it might have turned out," if Leiva hadn't shown up, Hendrickson said.
The day it all happened, Hendrickson didn't know who the rescuer was. He was later able to find out and stopped ---- with his kids, including Christopher ---- at Leiva's home near the community pool last weekend.
Initially, Hendrickson said, he was at a loss for what to say. What can you say to someone who just saved your child's life, Hendrickson thought.
"I told him, 'Dude, you're an angel,'" Hendrickson said.
"He said he was in his garage and heard all the commotion. He scaled the fence and came in," Hendrickson said. "He was happy to see Christopher and that he was OK."
Leiva was very humble about his actions, Hendrickson said. "He just thought he was doing his job."
But Hendrickson wanted to make sure this "angel" got some much-deserved recognition for what he did, so he contacted U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa's office.
On Tuesday, the congressman presented Leiva with a Certificate of Recognition. Issa's office said the Marine Corps is nominating Leiva for the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his actions.
"Sgt. Leiva did what I would expect most Marines would do. He saw there was a problem, he handled that problem, then went on his way," McKinney said Thursday. "He didn't expect any accolades."
McKinney said that if Hendrickson hadn't sought recognition for what Leiva did that day, it is likely that no one would have ever known about it.
"He's going to be in my prayers while he's over there, that's for sure," Hendrickson said of Leiva's deployment.
"I told him that the Lord put him in the right spot at the right time. I don't think it's at all coincidence that he was in his garage and was able to hear what was happening. He could have been in his house and not heard it," Hendrickson said.
Hendrickson didn't know what else to do to thank Leiva, though he considered at least taking him out to dinner. But working two jobs and living from paycheck to paycheck, Hendrickson said he just isn't able to afford that.
And the landlord at the house he rents in Temecula's Country Glen development has given him 45 days' notice to move out, he said.
"I'm gonna miss the neighborhood," he said, adding that since his son's near-drowning, "everybody in the neighborhood is talking about getting CPR cards."
While he's unsure where he may end up ---- his three children live with his ex-wife ---- Hendrickson is sure he'll never forget what Leiva did and hopes he now has a lifelong friendship with his hero.
"A lot of people wouldn't have done anything" in the face of the potential tragedy of a dying child, he said.
"But he was selfless," Hendrickson said of Leiva.
Contact staff writer John Hall at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2628, or jhall@californian.com
NORTH PHILADELPHIA - July 9, 2007 -
Medics are treating a child who had to be pulled from a pool in North Philadelphia after nearly drowning.
The boy was taken to Temple Children's Hospital. No word on his condition.
(Copyright 2007 by 6abc and Action News. All rights reserved.)