Drowning at POP Century

[jillmc40]

I had nightmares about this last night...This type of accident/tragedy really shakes me to the core. I pray for this family.

 

[lucigo]

Came across this to help the family on facebook through a military family network.

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/6SdB7?fb_action_ids=2903701447441&fb_action_types=fundrazr%253Astory_update&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%257B%25222903701447441%2522%253A607203462639143%257D&action_type_map=%257B%25222903701447441%2522%253A%2522fundrazr%253Astory_update%2522%257D&action_ref_map=%255B%255D

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Came across this to help the family on facebook through a military family network.

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/6SdB7?fb_action_ids=2903701447441&fb_action_types=fundrazr%253Astory_update&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%257B%25222903701447441%2522%253A607203462639143%257D&action_type_map=%257B%25222903701447441%2522%253A%2522fundrazr%253Astory_update%2522%257D&action_ref_map=%255B%255D

This is really interesting, but can you verify it?

 

[luvdisney77]

Unfortunately, it looks as though the boy passed. Does anyone know if he had a seizure? With some forms of epilepsy, seizures start right at puberty which he was right at this age. So, so sad.

 

[RunningWithScissors]

This is a horrible, horrible situation, every parent's worst nightmare.

It was a accident, the young man did not intend to get hurt.

But lessons can always be learned. I was a life guard and water safety instructor and pools are dangerous. It only takes inches to drown.

There is absolutely no blame to be put on Disney. It is swim at "your own risk" when lifeguards are not there, just as it is at most all hotels that don't even have lifeguards at all. It would be so expensive to have guards there all the time, so the solution would be to make room rates higher or close pools completely when no guard is there.

Parents and individuals have to assume that risk.

As a parent, you can teach your child that pools are dangerous. That you don't run, you don't dive, and you don't rough house and you have a buddy system.

Drowning victims make no noise: This is a great article that everyone especially parents need to read. http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

And out of respect and memory of this young man, learn something from this, and do not ever send a small child to a pool without a parent. The things I have seen at Disney pools make me shudder.

Prayers for all of us family.

Agree with everything you said! I was a lifeguard from age 15 to 21. I was always amazed at the parents who would send their kids, some under 10, to the pool for the lifeguards to "babysit." I actually had one mom tell me that! Luckily, the pool was never crowded so it wasn't an issue and it was the late 80's when things seemed so much more simple.

I hope that this incident will make ALL parents think twice about appropriate pool safety. Like someone else above said, you can drown in an inch of water. Doesn't matter how much water Disney takes out of a pool (mentioned in a post above somewhere) if they aren't completely EMPTY, you can drown.

God Bless the family of this precious young boy who is gone way too early.

 

[lucigo]

This is really interesting, but can you verify it?

All I can tell you is that I got it from a friend who is a friend of a family member. I will try to get something more concrete.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

Thanks I did not know this.

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[Dis703]

Oh no, that's so terrible to hear he didn't make it. I had been following the story and was so hoping to hear some good news. Absolutely heartbreaking.

 

[lovethattink]

Unfortunately, it looks as though the boy passed. Does anyone know if he had a seizure? With some forms of epilepsy, seizures start right at puberty which he was right at this age. So, so sad.

This is all so so sad, and hits so closely to home. I was wondering the same thing, luvdisney77. My son had a seizure at swim lessons a couple summers ago.

Whatever the reason, it's such a tragedy and my heart breaks for the little brother and family.

 

[kdzgon]

I hope that if any good can come out of this horrible tragedy, that maybe Disney will revisit its policies regarding having unattended pools. As good as parents can be about watching their children, as has been mentioned many times in this thread, ANYONE can drown without it looking like a movie drowning. Paid professionals should always be there.

I disagree (re: "paid professionals..."). Accidents happen - it's a fact of life. My guess if any change in policy comes about, it will be closure of the pools when lifeguards go off duty (not predicting it, just saying the more likely outcome of two options).

No matter what, I know my heart breaks for the family!

 

[lucigo]

All I can tell you is that I got it from a friend who is a friend of a family member. I will try to get something more concrete.

She said it was posted by a cousin to a military site and that he knew information about him and his condition before it was made public, but still, donate at your own risk I guess.

 

[danny25]

No words to say how feel.
Our hearts are with this family

 

[VACamm]

So sad... Praying for this family xo

 

[JennyDrake]

I'm not going to ever excuse true rudeness or insensitivity but I do want you to know this about your fellow DISers- we're all upset when something happens to Disney Family. We feel this happened in our home. We don't want to point fingers or make anyone feel guilty, but, still, we DO want to cast blame...just because we want there to BE something to blame. We "want" to hear that someone was negligent, someone was naughty, someone caused it. Because the alternative- the reality that tragedy is out there and can strike anyone for no known reason, to realize that good kids, of good parents, can die in good places, by just doing the same things OUR children do... It's just too much to bear. It's much too scary.

Just my 2 cents- as a mom, a nurse, a been-there-done-that teacher of advanced pediatric resuscitation, and a human who has dealt with critical ill children and their loved ones...did I mention mom... {cry}

Thank you for an excellent post.

When I was a child a friend of the family (age 6) had a seizure in a bathtub of 3" of water, fell forward and drowned.

I am a Horse Person and I completely concur with what PP said. You can employ every safety measure (gloves, helmet, impact vest) and still have terrible tragedies like Christopher Reeve.

 

[tazdev3225]

I read about this from a FB posting and was so saddened by it. I agree with others anything could have happened. I cannot swim but made sure my kids and now my grandkids can swim. We have belonged to a swim club for years and I will be in the pool way more often than I want to be again this year. I made complaints several times to the management last year about people who let their 3 year olds wearing "swimmies" go in the big pool alone while they napped and worked on their tan.

I can attest to the fact that drownings happen fast and silently. My DD was in the pool with 2 of my grandsons last year and turned her back for a second. My older DGS started screaming so she went to him thinking he was in trouble. The boys were within arms reach of 3 adults. He was screaming because my DD's son was drowning and he didn't know what to do. The older boy, by a year, couldn't swim and was trying to save him. The lifeguards and other adults there all looked stunned. They thought the boys were playing. The lifeguard apologized to me all summer for not jumping in quicker. The entire incident happened in less than 10 seconds but it seemed like an eternity. My heart breaks for that family.

 

[slg4crzn]

I thought I read somewhere that he hit his head but I may be wrong. People need to stop judging. He may have been a good swimmer and the parents may have been close by. If someone hits their head they could go under and drown in no time. The parents may have been there and looked away for even a few minutes. It's very possible he hit his head and slipped under and no body noticed for a couple minutes. Thats all it would take. They could have seen him and not realized he was in trouble and thought he was just under the water. People judging need to get out of their glass houses.

My heart goes out to this family. Hope he's ok.

I agree. I read his parents were at the pool and the boys had been playing and a short time passed and they realized he wasn't around. He could have jumped in and hit his head ?? Pools are not the place for horse playing and it only takes a very short time for an accident to happen. Fault doesn't have to go on anyone. Not the boys, parents, no lifeguard or Disney. It's always posted NO LIFEGUARD and sadly accidents happen. Prayers and sadness to the family---a Missourian

 

[MELSMICE]

This is really interesting, but can you verify it?

I'd wait to see if it's verified. The name of the resort is incorrect

The firefighter that was at the pool bar that helped him was on our local news tonight as he helped him. I didn't know it was someone from our area. He did not speculate on whether he hit his head, had a seizure or anything else.

 

[mjperry]

So it was not at the Pop Century Resort?

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[smitch425]

So it was not at the Pop Century Resort?

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Yes. It was at Pop Century.

 

[mjperry]

That's what I thought.

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