Haltom City Child Nearly Drowns In Pool
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - A toddler is recovering at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth on Thursday morning after he nearly drowned. The incident happened Wednesday night at a home in Haltom City.
Police said that the 3-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He was pulled out of an above-ground pool behind the home and given CPR. According to authorities, the small child was only unsupervised for about a minute, and that is all that it took for the situation to become frightening.
The toddler simply climbed the ladder and fell into the pool, officials added. No charges are expected to be filed.
Investigators stress that it does not take long for a child to find themselves in danger.
Area hospitals are seeing more near-drownings this year than last year. Cook Children's Medical Center has already treated 56 patients this summer -- including two fatal drownings. They recently teamed with the YMCA to launch a new safety awareness program, hoping to prevent tragedies like this from happening.
Safety experts have noticed that more parents are distracted by cell phones and social media. Experts recommend that adults rotate who is watching the kids every 15 minutes, and even use a 'water watcher' tag to designate that individual. Social media users can also change their profile pictures to read "100 Percent Supervision -- No Distractions!" to help raise awareness.
Meanwhile, the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth has been offering safety classes to kids at five apartment complexes. Some 50 children received 15 hours of free water safety tips. The program ends on Friday, but the push for awareness will continue.
The YMCA offers swimming classes year-round, and financial assistance is available. "It's not about learning swim lessons or learning stroke development," said Lindsi Smith with the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth. "It's really about learning how to protect themselves against drowning. So, it's really getting them to the side of the pool -- floating on their backs -- be careful and watchful about what's happening around them."
