4 year old dies at wave pool

[Keli]

So sad that this boy died. From what I have read so far I don't see why the parents should receive compesation from the park. The only one that appears negligent at this point is the parent that not only allowed their 4 yr old in the wave pool w/o a lifejacket but also didn't supervise him. Of course other facts may come out later but so far that's how I see it.
And as far as coming to the pool in the future, well, if I were the owners of the pool I would never let those folks in again and if I were the parent or sibling of that boy I would never, ever want to step foot in there anyway. The memories would be too painful.

 

[mamacatnv]

My kids are 12 and almost 9 and both are strong swimmers yet I never lose sight of them when we are the pool. I'm shocked by the number of parents with little ones who are content to sit in a chair and read their magazines, completely oblivious to their kids swimming in deep water. Yes, most lifeguards are good, but they only have 1 set of eyes. You can bet my eyes are going to be working overtime when its my kid in the pool.

DS is 17 and a Certified Water Park Life Guard, DH and I still keep an eye on him when we are around water. Good habits are hard to break.

 

[VolleyballQt07]

Wow. This is sad. How can they say a boy died with 6 lifeguards present? Its not their fault the kid drowned. Its the parents. They obviously weren't watching the kid. And why would you send a kid that young into a wave pool with a lifejacket? Do I feel bad? Yes and no. The kid should have been supervised by the parents. Not the lifeguards because he was that young. Heck, I'm 14 and I still have to stay with one parent when I'm in a wave pool for safety reasons. I don't think the family should sue. The parents were stupid enough to let the kid go in w/out a lifejacket and then they dont watch him. Talk about an accident waiting to happen.

 

[GraysMom]

I do feel very sad for this family and their loss, however I think the parent needs to take a strong look at themself and see what they could have done to prevent this tragedy. DS2 has taken swim classes once a week for the past year and a half. He absolutely loves the water and can kick up to the surface, torpedo, swim underwater, etc. No way is out of my reach during the entire class. Before/after class, he has to put his hand on my leg while I dry us off so that I know exactly where he is. If we had a second child, DS would still be out of the water every time I got out with the baby.

One of the things we learned about life jackets, was that most of them don't turn a child/adult face up in the water. While they do buoy you to the surface, if your face is still in the water and you can't flip over, you can still drown quite easily. I see quite a number of people who put arm floaties or even a Coast Guard approved life jacket on their young kids (under 10) and assume their kids are undrownable (?) because they float. It really freaks me out.

The other thing to remember is that even an *Olympic* swimmer could drown in a wave pool if they are knocked unconcious by the wall/bottom of the pool/someone's elbow/wave board/etc. There are also health problems like an asthma attack/heart attack that could render someone helpless in the water. Being an excellent swimmer doesn't mean you can't end up in a situation where drowning is a real possibility. That's why even adults should swim with a buddy

 

[poohandwendy]

I do feel very sad for this family and their loss, however I think the parent needs to take a strong look at themself and see what they could have done to prevent this tragedy.

Honestly, I think it would be very, very unlikely that anyone involved in this won't be haunted forever by 'what-if's' and feelings of guilt, wishing they would have done things differently.

As much as I feel it is the parents responsibility to watch their children and this mother probably made a fatal error in judgement, I can't help but feel for all involved. What an awful, painful and devastating lesson learned. I would imagine they will all beat themselves up forever over this.

 

[earthfaries]

poohandwendy, I LOVE your signature!!!

My kids are homeschooled, were nursed until 3, and slept with me also !!! I don't have anything against TV's though!!!

 

[poohandwendy]

poohandwendy, I LOVE your signature!!!

My kids are homeschooled, were nursed until 3, and slept with me also !!! I don't have anything against TV's though!!!

LOL, thanks

 

[Alesia]

I'm assuming the lifeguards were slacking because someone died. The life wasn't guarded. If the lifeguards can't make sure people don't die, then get rid of them and drop the cost of the tickets.

That's like saying we should get rid of all police officers because some people get away with committing crimes.

 

[mamacatnv]

I
One of the things we learned about life jackets, was that most of them don't turn a child/adult face up in the water. While they do buoy you to the surface, if your face is still in the water and you can't flip over, you can still drown quite easily. I see quite a number of people who put arm floaties or even a Coast Guard approved life jacket on their young kids (under 10) and assume their kids are undrownable (?) because they float. It really freaks me out.

Very good point -we taught the kids how to "swim" in their vests and used them purely as a resource to keep them on the surface since kids sink quick. Just like it doesn't matter how much you child proof your home, it is only a deterent, nothing beats good ole fashion parental supervision.

 

[Beth76]

The other thing to remember is that even an *Olympic* swimmer could drown in a wave pool if they are knocked unconcious by the wall/bottom of the pool/someone's elbow/wave board/etc. There are also health problems like an asthma attack/heart attack that could render someone helpless in the water. Being an excellent swimmer doesn't mean you can't end up in a situation where drowning is a real possibility. That's why even adults should swim with a buddy

You're absolutely right. Drowing can happen in a matter of seconds. Even if the lifeguard had his eye on the kid and jumped in as soon as he saw trouble, it's quite possilbe he wouldn't get there in time.

I forgot to mention this before. DS was swimming at a hotel pool once when he was 4--that had a lifeguard. He was the only one in the pool and I was right by the side watching him. He got to a part that was a bit too deep and panicked. I was the one who jumped into the pool to help him. The lifeguard jumped up too, but I beat him to it. No way was I just going to sit there and watch the lifeguard get him.

 

[katlas&kids]

I'm sorry, as the mother of a water park Life Guard I think you are a little misinformed. First of all they are Life Guards not babysitters. It is the parents responsibility to babysit, it is the Life Guards job to do everything possible to prevent harm, however, they are not assigned to an unattended child on a 1 to 1 basis. They do have an area to scan, but their eyes cannot be everywhere every minute, hence the need for parental supervision.

The idea of putting an often teenage Life Guard in jail because a parent has neglected their responsibilties is IMO a typical response from a person who does not assume responsibility for their actions or those of their children. Changing a diaper or whatever is no reason to ever not supervise a child around water, I don't care who is in attendance.

The Life Guards I know (and I know a lot of them) take their job very seriously, and an event of this magnitude would be devastating to them. My son gets upset when a person is injured on a slide, and there was nothing he could have done, but he still feels bad. To assue that they are working on their tan, socializing or adjusting their suit is an uneducated assumption.

Life vests are designed for a reason. Oh well they are not the most comfortable thing in the world, so what! If a kid is not competent in the water and a parent chooses to leave them unsupervised then the parent should assume the consequences of not putting the vest on them that would have most likely prevented this tragedy.

I feel bad for the parent of the lost child, but to place the blame on anyone else but the parent is not right. IMO

As a lifeguard and a mom of 4, I can tell you that it isn't an easy job. I do a year around indoor pool, and we have birthday parties at our facility. You would not belive the number of parents that just send their kids to swim at the party who have never been in a pool or have never heard the word no. The parent is not there, the parent hosting the party signs the wavers with no thought of accountability or even knowing who the child is or a way to reach the parent. (Know this for fact from a minor incident that happened and the parent had no idea who the child was or how to reach the parent for the incident report, which we have to fill out immediately!)

Our pool starts at 3 1/2 feet deep & goes to 10 feet. Parents think they can stand at the side and watch the kids. There is no way. Not only are they talking with each other, but the kids are all over that shallow section. We had a parent who was helping out a freind and brought 7 kids 8 & under in and was not planning to get in with them!

A life guard can't just "blow it off and move on". It did happen under our watch and it does effect us. We are not babysitters and rules must be followed. Why yell at us for not watching your kid in the pool who you know can't swim while you go off somewhere else in the area/building? Make sure you know the rules and have read them.

I was at a water park with my kids in the kid section. The water was at least 2 feet deep. I could not believe how many kids under 5 were there in the water, sliding, splashing and doing other activites without ANY adult supervision. I pulled 2 kids up after they had came down a small side and went under and couldn't get their footing.

Sorry so long, but wanted to let ya'll know that it can happen to anyone and your child is your responsiblity. My kids have been in pools since they were 9 months old. 2 are also or have been lifeguards. Yes they swim like fish, but I am still on top of them around the water. It is to easy to think of it as a friend, when it can be such an enemy so quickly!

 

[bigmerle1966]

That quote in the article caught my eye as well -- I was thinking the same thing as you.

Me too, no way I would let any child that age go to a pool by themselves.

Anything could have happened in this situation. Could be the child was down where no one could see him, between other swimmers or even under a swimming person.

My sisters neighborhood pool had a child who was 10 or 11 drown last summer. He was there for a party and his parents were there with him. He had been snorkeling in the pool and someone realized that he had not moved in a while. Because he spent most of the time face down in the pool floating, no one realized the poor child was dead. No one, including his parents or the lifeguards saw the child in distress at all. He could have simply sucked water in through the snorkel and drowned without showing any signs indicating anything was wrong.

 

[TnTWalter]

at 2 different pools each with lifeguards.

I was in the water with my kids and these kids parents were NOT.

One the girl came down a slide and got scared. The lifeguard WATCHED the girl struggling but she didn't get in. I swam over there and pulled her to the edge and played light of it so she wasn't freaked out; that one made me mad. The lifeguard came down from her perch and got the child from the edge. Then the mom notices. Ugh.

The other incident was at a kiddie splash pool, with a shallow to deep area. The deep wasn't very deep but enough to cover a child. The mom was chatting with a friend on the side of the pool as her daughter was playing right near me. I'm a nervous nellie so I was checking on her as I played with my kids; she was little. Sure enough she wandered a little deeper than she was and COULDN'T SWIM. The mom noticed AFTER I pulled her up above the surface. She was scared and crying. The mom threw a life jacket on her [it was sitting by her chair; that's a good spot not] and put her right back in!!

UGH.

It happens SO FAST and if the child panics [which they usually do], they swallow water and it's OVER.

Never EVER rely on someone else to protect your children!

Trish

 

[poohandwendy]

at 2 different pools each with lifeguards.

I was in the water with my kids and these kids parents were NOT.

One the girl came down a slide and got scared. The lifeguard WATCHED the girl struggling. I swam over there and pulled her to the edge and played light of it so she wasn't freaked out; but REALLY that one made me mad.

The other incident was at a kiddie splash pool, with a shallow to deep area. The deep wasn't very deep but enough to cover a child. The mom was chatting with a friend on the side of the pool as her daughter was playing right near me. I'm a nervous nellie so I was checking on her as I played with my kids; she was little. Sure enough she wandered a little deeper than she was and COULDN'T SWIM. The mom noticed AFTER I pulled her up above the surface. She was scared and crying. The mom threw a life jacket on her [it was sitting by her chair] and put her right back in!!

UGH.

It happens SO FAST and if the child panics [which they usually do], they swallow water and it's OVER.

Never EVER rely on someone else to protect your children!

Trish

I have seen this sort of thing many times and I remember as a child, when kids came over to swim their parents would just tell my mom "Janie doesn't know how to swim, but I am sure she will stay away from the deep end" and then LEAVE!!! They just assumed their child would be fine and didn't give it a second thought.

I think some people just do not understand how quickly and quietly drownings can happen. I think they also think their child wouldn't take a risk that would harm them, which could not be further from the truth.

 

[yeartolate]

The lifeguards ought to be scrutinized. Their job is to make sure little kids don't die and a little kid died.

I would not have allowed a kid in there if I wasn't watching. But I know that - like with all jobs - some lifeguards suck. In no way would I trust my kid's life to them.

But, some people trust the lifeguards. And it is their flippin job. I've often thought there should be cameras at these pools and the film should be reviewed when something like this happens. If the lifeguard who was assigned to that part of the pool was talking or adjusting their suit or putting on sunscreen or zoning out, they should be put in jail.

It is entirely possible that this woman had to change her other child's diaper or something and figured she could trust the lifeguards for a few minutes. I've seen LOTS of people - good parents - do that. Happens at Disney all the time. Hell, I fished a drowning kid out of a pool at CSR.

I never made my kids wear lifejackets in the pool because it isn't fun and you can't swim with those things on. But, I watched them.

My heart breaks for that mother. Not only has she lost her child and has to live through that, but now people will be blaming her for it.

Good grief. In your scenario you are saying maybe the mom had to get out to change her other childs diaper?????Trust the life guard with your 4 year old child in a wave pool for a few minutes???

Holy guacamole batman, that is alot of trust to place in a lifeguard.

An investigation is happening. If a lifeguard was slacking, that will come out and handled. But losing track of your own flesh and blood four year old child in a wave pool --- it is hard for me to look any farther than the parent. ANd that is guilt that parent will bear for a lifetime.


I must say, in a crowded pool, the lifeguard depends on the folks in the water to alert them to dangerous situations.

I have been to the park in question and lifejackets and warning are abundent.
The parent has to take some care.

And Bob, I saw that comment about the 11 yeear old in the water parkalone.

 

[disykat]

I have no qualms at all putting blame on the parents for this one if they weren't in the water right next to their child - although I certainly feel for them. What a terrible lesson in parenting. Unfortunately as parents we all make mistakes in judgements at times, however trying to blame someone else just irritates me.

I remember a few years ago when a mom was all over tv because her 4 year old died in a car crash and she had "no idea" he would have been safer in a booster seat. I can see campaigning for carseat laws, but was amazed that she didn't get that she was waving her own ignorance and stupidity all over the media. There were well known recommendations, she just chose not to follow them.

We were in a wave pool two summers ago when my youngest was 10. I was very careful in my own swimming because I still considered my primary job to be watching him, staying right next to him and making sure he was safe. My 12 year old was strong enough to swim with less supervision, but my 10 year old wasn't.

If that mom wants to campaign for safer wave pools etc. I'd say go for it. But to try to sue to blame and ignore your own culpabiltiy is shameful.

 

[yeartolate]

I agree Disykat.


I am curious how this will all pan out - so far I have not seen lawsuit mentioned in print, but one local TV station mentioned it. I am curious about their innformation about the lawsuit, because as a parent, I cannot imagine thinking lawsuit this soon after an accident. I would still be so deep in grief, I couldn't see past it.

 

[Dismom+two]

I first have to say that this is a very sad, sad story!

I was just at a water park AND in a wave pool. I was in it with my two children ages 12 and 16 and I was concerned about them. As I read in someone elses post and it certainly describes how I felt in the pool...out of control. There were SO many in the pool and everyone is bumping into eachother...we were getting knocked over by some that were in tubes...I feel they "can be" very dangerous!

 

[RitaZ.]

the parent hosting the party signs the wavers with no thought of accountability or even knowing who the child is or a way to reach the parent.

That's absolutely insane. Some people have **** for brains!

 

[milkabum]

But am I just being overprotective? Why in the heck would you let a child that age in the wave pool without a lifejacket ? At that park, the life jackets ARE EVERYWHERE. Readily available. I am also curious to know where the mom was.

I completely agree. Yes, it's a horrible experience to lose a child, especially so young. However, this was completely preventable. First of all, who let's a small, four year old, who probably doesn't know how to swim in the first place (not that it would make too much of a difference, is he or she were knocked down you're stuck), in a wave pool? Not to mention, I'm guessing they weren't supervising their own child if he or she drowned (That's two strikes). Even if the child were in the pool, with a life jacket, this probably wouldn't have happened. Then, right after the accident, they want a lawsuit? How can you think of that immediatley after the loss of a child?

All I can do, is emote: