Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/ ^ | Mario

[ventanax5]

The new captain jumped from the cockpit, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the owners who were swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

How did this captain know, from fifty feet away, what the father couldn’t recognize from just ten? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect.

[1rudeboy]

A wife and her husband were engrossed in conversation. The wife was holding her child (maybe two years old?) by the hand. The child had toppled-over, face first, in about three inches of water. The fact that his mom was holding his hand actually prevented him from rolling over.

I snatch the kid, and the husband thinks I'm some sort of maniac/pederast/kidnapper. The lifeguard uniform was no help. True story.

[tet68]

Interesting article.
Bump.

[skeeter]

Thanks for posting. I was a lifeguard for six summers & had to be prepared to spot the person quietly in trouble in a large pool full of thrashing kids.

There were lifeguards that were more concerned with their tan - it always amazed me why really bad things didn't happen more often.

[happilymarriedmom]

Great article. Thanks for sharing it. Our family witnessed this type of thing several years ago. We were at the beach and several of us were about 70 yards back from the water where the picnic area was. My Father-in-law and Brother-in law were talking, standing in ankle deep water where the kids were swimming. Those of us back at the picnic tables could see my 2 year old neice (who was tiny for her age) had toppled over and was just floating face down in the water. We tried calling to them to get their attention but they just looked at us. Finally a couple guys ran down and pulled her out. She was fine but gave everyone a scare. You just can’t be so oblivious around little ones especially.

[The Sons of Liberty]

Excellent. Thank you for posting. It could save a life.

[kevinm13]

Thanks for posting. I have shared this article with my adult kids (especially the one who works at a community pool).

[cricket]

Certainly worth sharing. . .could well save a life.

[reagan_fanatic]

Vital information everyone should know. Thanks for posting.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Outstanding article!

[Judith Anne]

Outstanding post, thanks. The article and the comments which follow are very engrossing.

[netmilsmom]

I believe your story.
My husband was a lifeguard in the marines, yet we were recently at a pool where a friend’s child nearly drowned. God was looking out for the kid and he managed to say, “Dad” and the father pulled him out. Understand, four adults were sitting about two feet away but just like this article said, he didn’t scream or splash.

When the dad pulled him out, the kid’s throat was spasming and they ran him to the emergency room where the parents were told all that is in this article.

I was surprised that my husband thought the whole thing was an overreaction. He said the kid would have passed out and survived. Needless to say, I now don’t trust Dad to watch my own girls in a pool.

[Egon]

Excellent post. A real eye-opener for me.

[1rudeboy]

God bless my instructor, who taught me how to train other lifeguards. He tried to drown me, and nearly broke my nose, but I learned some real lessons to pass along. He had two rules:

1. Any child shorter than knee-height is trying to drown, so act accordingly.
2. Any rescue initially will appear unnecessary, so act accordingly.

I cannot stress #2 enough. Almost every rescue I have ever made started with, "I'm not seeing what I'm seeing."

[ADSUM]

I don’t understand why parents/adults are not watching a 2 yr old 100% of the time and be right next to them when in the water.

[Deaf Smith]

Years ago we took the kids to a big water park. I observed quiet a few (many) people who could not swim, go onto slides that ended in deep pools. Each would begin to drown and a lifeguard would pull them out.

These sinkers would then race to the next slide down the line and repeat process for another lifeguard. The lifeguards at each pool were doing a save almost every 5-7 minutes.

[netmilsmom]

>>1. Any child shorter than knee-height is trying to drown, so act accordingly.<<

Truth be told!
When my younger daughter was 18 months, I took her to a zero entrance pool. She toddled in, right over her head.

They ARE trying to drown.

[netmilsmom]

Seriously?

We had a two year old drown at a waterpark here in MI. The parents sued and the park settled.

My question was, Where the H@ll were the parents?????
The answer, now back in the Middle East with a ton of American Dollars. No kidding.

[skeeter]

I guess I'm grateful we had no slides.

But we did have diving boards. Thats a whole 'nuther story.

[Carpe Cerevisi]

My four year old son nearly drowned a couple of years ago...and it was in a pool that wasn’t very crowded. We have six kids and he just decided to slip out of his inflatable ring (I know, I know it’s not a flotation device)to see if he could touch the bottom. We didn’t hear a word - no struggle, no nothing. Just a little guy that was lying at the bottom of the pool until a guardian angel decided to reach in and pull him out.