A 6-year-old girl ended up in critical condition after she was found not breathing in a backyard swimming pool.
A 3-year-old boy was pulled from a community pool after being underwater for about 30 seconds.
A five-year-old from nearly drowning in a private pool. His mother knew CPR and performed it before the paramedics arrived, which ultimately saved his life.
A three-year-old girl nearly drowned after she reached into a pool to rescue her cat. She was found in the pool face down and not breathing. Her father performed CPR and she regained consciousness.
It is one tragic headline after another throughout the country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates.
According to the World Health Organization, drowning is one of the leading causes of death globally for children and young people aged 1-24 years. Every year, worldwide, an estimated 236,000 people drown.
StopDrowningNow reports the following statistics:
In the US, an average of 3,500 to 4,000 people drown per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day.
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1-4.
Drowning remains in the top 5 causes of unintentional injury-related death from birth to 5 years old.
Twenty-three percent of child drownings happen during a family gathering near a pool.
Drowning is the cause of death for most boating fatalities.
It’s estimated that another 5 to 10 people receive hospital-related care for nonfatal drowning injuries for every fatal drowning victim.
Children younger than one-year-old are more likely to drown at home.
Eighty-seven percent of drowning fatalities happen in home pools or hot tubs for children younger than 5. Most take place in pools owned by family or friends.
Children 5 to 17 years old are more likely to drown in natural water, such as ponds or lakes.
What can you do to prevent the risk of drowning?
- Parents should take CPR classes and know how to administer it to their children in the event of an emergency.
- Children should take formal swimming lessons as early as possible.
- Children should never be unsupervised. Drowning can occur in a matter of minutes. Preferably, parents should be in the pool with their children.
- Adults should refrain from alcohol use while swimming.
- Isolation fences should be built around pools to prevent others from gaining access without invitation.
- Always swim with a buddy.
- Foam toys such as tubes should not be used as safety devices.
- Check pool chemicals and conditions of the pool daily.
Every day, about 10 people die from accidental drowning and of these, two are aged 14 or under. The summer is usually a wonderful time for family and vacation. Take the appropriate precautions to make sure your little ones are safe.
Want to learn more about life insurance? Read our article The Most Frequently Asked Life Insurance Questions.