Even before summer has officially begun, Massachusetts has already recorded a swimming pool drowning – a grim statistic that unfortunately accompanies this season of outdoor recreation.
And it took the life of one of those most susceptible to this type of fatal accident.
Brockton police and State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office continue to probe the drowning of a 2-year-old boy in a residential swimming pool on Saturday, officials said.
Police received a 911 call around 9:15 a.m. reporting that a 2-year-old boy was found unresponsive in a backyard, above-ground swimming pool at 111 Ardsley Circle, the DA’s Office said in a written statement.
“Brockton Police and emergency personnel responded and transported the male victim to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was pronounced dead,” a spokesperson for District Attorney Timothy Cruz said. “He is not being identified at this time.”
The home has a 450-square-foot pool that was built in 1980, according to property records.
According to the state Department of Public Health, drowning is a leading cause of death among young children, both locally and nationally, with backyard pools posing the highest risk for children under the age of 5.
And for children ages 1 to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes.
This 2-year-old’s death should put us all on notice, and heighten our awareness, especially when supervising young children.
Parents and other supervising adults must literally have their heads on a swivel, especially in a pool crowded with individuals of varying swimming abilities.
While backyard pools pose the most serious safety risk, our state-run beaches and pools aren’t immune to water-related accidents.
The state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees state-operated pools, ocean beaches and inland water resources, tries to hire about 600 lifeguards every year.
Even with that pay boosts and other incentives, the DCR finds itself competing with community pools, aquatic centers, municipal recreation departments, beachfronts, as well as hotel chains, gyms, condo associations, summer camps, resorts, waterparks, YMCAs, and Boys & Girls Clubs for that pool of lifeguards.
In a pool, lake or ocean, drowning can be a swift and silent killer. Oftentimes, there’s no struggle, splashing, or cry for help.
It can take just 20 seconds to sink below the water and only minutes to drown.
If you own a pool, you have the responsibility to make sure everyone stays safe while swimming and playing in the water.
Mass.gov advises following these tips to keep everyone safe in this fun but potentially dangerous environment:
• If you can’t swim or aren’t a strong swimmer, keep to shallow areas or use a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• Swim with a buddy and never alone, even if you’re a strong swimmer.
• Teach everyone in your home how to dial 911 in an emergency
• Learn CPR: The American Red Cross offers a wide selection of CPR/AED, first aid, lifeguarding, swimming and water safety, caregiving, disaster response and emergency preparedness training.
• Supervise children in and around the pool at all times.
• Designate an adult “water watcher” to supervise children. Being a water watcher means avoiding any distractions, even for a moment. If in a large group of adults, create a schedule of water watchers.
• Avoid distractions while supervising children (i.e., reading, texting, talking on the phone, drinking alcohol).
• When children finish using the pool, remove floats, balls, and other toys from the pool so that they’re not tempted to reach for them.
• Install a four-sided pool fence that completely separates the house and play area of the yard from the pool area. Check with the proper municipal department regarding fence height requirements.
• Keep children away from pool fences to make sure they don’t climb over them.
• Use a gate that closes and latches by itself whenever it’s opened, and make sure the latch is on the pool side of the gate, out of reach of small children.
• Consider additional barriers, such as automatic door locks to limit access, or alarms that sound when anyone enters the pool area.
• Keep rescue equipment, such as a shepherd’s hook or life preserver, and a cellphone nearby in case of an emergency.
We can’t imagine the heartbreak the family of that 2-year-old drowning victim must be experiencing, as they try to comprehend such an inconsolable tragedy.
Hopefully, other pool owners with younger children – or have friends and family members with limited swimming ability – will use this accidental death to reinforce the need for constant vigilance in and around this refreshing alternative to the summer’s heat and humidity.
