Drowning victim dies even after rescued by Nashville security guard
NASHVILLE, TN June 3 2021 A 12-year-old has died after drowning at an apartment complex pool in Madison on Tuesday night.
The young boy remained in critical condition after the event at Vanderbilt Children’s Medical Hospital. Metro Nashville Police Department says the death appears to have been accidental.
Those who live at the complex on Berkley Drive told News 4 they were worried about the child even though police said the 12-year-old and his friends didn’t live in this apartment complex.
Josh and Cristina Hernandez, who live at the complex, and were at the pool when the incident happened on Tuesday evening, said it was scary as they recalled what happened.
“I didn’t know if he was going to be dead. And it was scary,” Josh Hernandez said. “I was in the pool. I saw these two little girls that were trying to get him in. What I heard whenever I was there, they say he was at the bottom sinking. And two Hispanic girls had to go down and get him, and another person that was sitting at the table had to help him up.”
“I thought they were joking at first, and then I realized it was real. I kept telling Josh to look away cause white stuff was coming out his mouth,” 13-year old Cristina Hernandez said. “We didn’t know if he was alive or dead or not. It was kind of scary. It was very scary.”
Metro Police said the 12-year-old child played with three other friends at the pool with no adult supervision. Police said that’s when other children saw him at the bottom of the deep end and pulled him out. When emergency crews got on the scene on Tuesday, the police said the child was unresponsive. A security guard was performing CPR, police said.
“They were doing CPR, and then they had to call security, and then security was doing CPR,” Josh Hernandez said. “We tried to use the emergency phone, but it wasn’t working.”
The pool at the apartment complex was closed on Wednesday. Police said the drowning incident appears to be an accident, but Youth Services detectives are investigating.
With more people getting ready to use the pool, experts offer advice to keep children safe when they go swimming.
“It’s not only just about the kids knowing how to swim but kind of being prepared,” Laurel Pierce said.
Pierce is the general manager for Safe Splash Swim School, where they teach people how to swim.
“We’re teaching them how to blow their air out, so they’re not sucking it in and choking on water, and then they can reach for the side of the pool,” Pierce said. “That helps them reach for the wall to be able to climb out on their own. Also, how to flip over onto their backs so they can take a breather and get air.”
At Safe Splash Swim schools, Pierce said they also help children know general safety rules while at the pool.
“If a toy falls into the water, don’t go in after it. Wait for an adult or someone that knows how to swim can go get it out,” Pierce said.
“We specifically teach kids to stand on the edge of the pool and to wait until we count to three before they are allowed to jump in. And we continue to re-iterate that so they’re not just jumping in uninvited,” she added.
Pierce said having adult supervision on kids while at the pool is still the most significant thing.
“You always want to make sure that there is an adult assigned as the pool watch. Someone that’s always watching the kids,” Pierce said.
WSMV.com
