A couple weekends back your South Carolina workers’ compensation lawyers read of a sad incident where a 21-month-old toddler died after drowning in a pool behind her home. It’s no surprise kids want to have some summer fun in the pool, but it is a major concern of Lowcountry officials that kids be safe this summer when enjoying their time away from school. Sadly, the toddler is not the only instance of a child drowning so far this summer, two young boys have also died in accidental drownings in St. Stephen and a 4-year-old girl had to be rescued from a Mt. Pleasant pool.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10 people die everyday from drowning. Charleston area officials are hoping heightened attention to child drownings will help keep our area kids safe this summer and curb this unfortunate trend of child injury and death.
In a report from the Post and Courier, the 21-month-old toddler died from drowning after being found in her family’s pool in North Charleston. According to the report, her family lost sight of the little girl and after a short search spotted her in a pool. Authorities responded to a drowning call made by the family and took the unconscious and unresponsive toddler to Medical University Hospital. Unfortunately, medical staff was not able to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the hospital 45-minutes after the call was made to police.
There was no mention of any of the family members being charged with child neglect or endangerment, but the South Carolina Department of Social Services did conduct a home inspection and helped prepare a safety plan for the child’s parents in hopes of preventing a similar fatal accident from occurring. The deceased child’s parents have three other children.
Because of the frequency of child drownings in the Charleston area, local media sources have helped in getting the public involved in drowning prevention. Live 5 News recently posted an article online offering helpful tips to protect children from drowning.
Dr. Benji Rogers of Sweetgrass Pediatrics says that having your child take swim lessons is the first layer of safety when it comes to protecting your child and that children as young as 6-months-old can be enrolled in swim lessons. Dr. Rogers says that swim lessons are not only a great way for children to be able to enjoy the water, but also an excellent tool for teaching children to respect the water.
For parents, knowing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), is another layer of safety that keeps parents and guardians prepared in case there is an emergency. In general, adult supervision is a must in drowning prevention, and for younger children in the water, like babies and toddlers, it is imperative for adults, parents, and guardians to implement touch supervision, or constantly having a hand on the child while they are in the water.
Your Charleston child injury attorneys agree with these tips and firmly believe the better educated children and their parents are on water safety, the less likely fatal drownings like those in North Charleston and St. Stephen are to occur, and the more likely child injuries and death can be prevented.