Posted on 10/16/2009 11:05:51 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Three people drowned Friday afternoon in a condominium pool in Orange County, a fire department representative said.
Authorities were called to the Laurel Hills Condominiums at 7101 Balboa Drive just after 5 p.m. regarding three possible drowning victims -- an adult, a child and a teenage girl.
Images From The Scene A neighbor said an adult had a key and let the three people into the fenced-off pool. The neighbor said it's common for people who live in the area to have keys to the pool.
Neighbors said other children saw the people floating in the pool and were screaming and ran for help. Another neighbor said the pool is closed and that they never see children there.
When a deputy arrived, he kicked in the locked gate, pulled two of the victims from the pool and then a passerby pulled out the third. Jeff Williamson, of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, said the deputy and the passerby made heroic efforts to save the victims.
"All three victims of this incident were found in various levels of distress and administered aid at the scene and transported by emergency personnel to local hospitals for follow-up," the OCSO said in an e-mail to the media.
"It sounds like the K-9 deputy was pretty heroic in his efforts," Williamson said. "My understanding is the K-9 deputy took his gear off and dove directly into the pool."
The Orange County Fire Department said two of the victims -- the adult and the child -- were taken to Health Central Hospital in Ocoee. They were pronounced dead at the hospital.
The adult who died was identified as 38-year-old Phillip Casseus and the girl was identified as Ruth Casseus.
More Phillip Casseus, 38
The third victim, a 12-year-old, was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and later died.
Relatives said the two children were not good swimmers and may have ventured too far in the pool. That's when Casseus attempted to save them, but lost his life in the process, they said.
"He tried to get them," said Casseus' father, Dieusseul. "But he didn't know how to swim himself. I lost my son and my first great-granddaughter."
Neighbors said they were shocked at the drownings.
"It's very traumatic," said Cleretta Lampkin. "I have never seen anything like this before."
Dear lord. : (
Prayers.
An adult who can’t swim has no business taking children to a pool. Another senseless tragedy. Prayers for all concerned.
FReepers, please take your children for swim lessons at an early age! So many children drown every year this way, and this kind of tragedy is easily avoided. Prayers for the family!
That. Totally. Sucks...Prayers.
K-9 deputy...
Wish they’d cut out the BS and just tell us that it’s the POLICE DOG!
This is extremely bizarre, as well as sad. All non swimmers, the child fall in the deep end, and then both parents perish trying to rescue?
The deputy in charge of the police dog jumped in, not the dog.
That's not what a gathered from the story.
Teaching children to swim will just make them not fear water, and cause more death. Water is full of dihydrogen monoxide, a known cause of numerous deaths. Kids, when you see water, 1) leave it alone, and 2) call an adult.
Oh, wait.....
True. You also have to be very careful when you try to aid a drowning person who is still struggling. It’s dangerous because their adrenaline-driven fear can cause them to pull you under in the process and I wouldn’t doubt that’s exactly what happened here. It’s best to grab something to reach out to where they are and pull them into shallow water.
“This is extremely bizarre”
Ya my brain was...wth.. wth reading the details...it just short circuited and ended up : ( ‘ing...tinfoil was creeping in...
The person with the key...what a cross to bear.
I was trained to swim under them, pull them under water and grab them there, under the arms and around the neck so they can not grab you. Return to the surface and swim them back to safety. We had to do this in a matter of seconds.
Dreadful. RIP.
I have a serious question...AND NO IT’S NOT A RACIST ONE. But...this family was black...why is it that historically most blacks can’t swim well and they tend to drown the most? Is there a specific reason for this? Is it a city thing? No pools so they never learn?
You mean put them in a full nelson?
Zero tolerance for possession of dihydrogen monoxide.
LMAO...wtf?!!? I don’t even want to ask how you knew this was on YouTube...
Whew.
Nearly incompehensible.
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