A West U child nearly drowned at Colonial Park Pool on Sunday while having a seizure in the pool.
Around 3:27 p.m. on Sunday, a West U lifeguard noticed a child in distress on a floating log play feature in the pool.
The lifeguard immediately initiated the emergency procedure protocol and entered the pool to help the child as the other lifeguards on duty cleared the pool, city officials said in a statement.
Staff performed an extrication of the child from the pool and immediately began to assess the condition of the child’s vital signs.
West University Place Police and Fire Department personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene. Through the combined efforts of municipal personnel the child was stabilized and transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital at the Texas Medical Center.
“I’m really proud of the entire West University Place team,” Parks and Recreation Director Tim O’Connor said, adding that the parks and recreation department and police and fire departments all did their job.
Everyone acted in a “very professional and efficient manner,” he said.
The incident has been classified as a “near drowning” and the city is conducting a thorough review the incident, according to the city.
The name of the child and his condition was not released.
I was there yesterday. People just stood around watching young lifeguards trying to figure out what to do. I started asking if there were any doctors who could help? It was extremely sad. I wonder if the child’s parents were there? It did not appear that they were. I am so thankful this boy is OK. It was heartbreaking to witness.
Jenn, thank goodness this boy is OK. If there was a delay or confusion in getting him help immediately, perhaps Tim O’Connor and the City of West University should investigate and offer more training for all lifeguards and personnel at the pool. Perhaps they are not trained to handle non drowning incidents? I’m just glad that it all turned out for the best this time and thank you for your first hand account.
I was there too. Please write a follow up article to let us know the boy’s condition. Also, were his parents there? Might be good to reiterate that parents should be present with their children at the pool, although this boy was a bit older.
A lifeguard saved a child last year at the pool as well. Our young ladies and men are doing a GREAT job of watching over the pool. Their vigilence is always obvious when I’m there. They work hard under tough conditions — I came across one who had succumbed to the blistering heat and was receiving treatment from paramedics last year. Within 30 minutes she was back on her feet and was working again (with a cold bottle of water at her side).
It’s a tough job with all the noise and clamor. I don’t think I’d do a good job at it, but fortunately we have some great kids on the job and from the success rate in emergency situations since the pool opened it seems like the city has an effective risk management plan in place.
The lifeguards and the rest of the staff at Colonial Pool did a great job yesterday. Kudos to you all for doing what you are trained to do…saving lives!
I was there too and frankly I was disgusted by some of our resident’s actions. A few stood there screaming, berating and even cussing at the lifeguards while they tried to do their jobs. A few of the so called “doctors and nurses” even told the guards that they were allowing the child to die. All the arm-chair quarterbacks need to shut-up and let trained lifeguards do their job until the paramedics arrive, which was in a little over two minutes by my watch.
It was a lot longer than 2 mins for paramedics to arrive. It just took a while for most folks to realize what was happening. I saw the lifeguards doing an assessment first, then light CPR, then I had enough time to run around the pool and ask for a doctor, then a police women came and was doing very heavy CPR and THEN the paramedics were there.
Also, Lifeguards are not doctors and if there was a doctor present, it’s OK that they help, in my opinion. There was a clear difference from the way the lifeguards were doing CPR and the way the police woman was doing it. Not that I am criticizing the lifeguards because they did the very best anyone could wish for in that situation. Were the parents there?
As a physician trained in emergency procedures, and one who uses them on a daily basis, I would have immediately attempted to assist in the situation. Are you all saying that the trained professionals who may have been at the site were told that they could not help and were to leave the lifeguards alone? The Good Samaritan act permits me to attempt to save a life, and my Hippocratic Oath requires me to. In our CIty, there are MD’s who live on every block. I have a hard time believing that no one was there to help. Even harder to understand is why they would be prohibitted from doing so.
As a certified lifeguard I can say that guards are trained to keep ALL patrons away because they do not know what kind of doctors they are, or if they are even an actual doctor. For all the guards know, the so called “doctor” could just be a patron who is outright lying or just simply CPR certified. It’s a liability issue for the pool, the guards, and the city. Most of the parents made it a lot more stressful for the poor guards who were just doing their job, and what they were instructed to do. Most of the people who comment on this article will do so out of ignorance, without TRULY understanding what those hard working guards go through.I feel sorry for those who will be affected and judged by this, simply because people are listening to so called “eye witnesses” who don’t even have their facts straight.
Dive on in there Beth. Just make sure all of your insurance is paid up and don’t cry when they take your house in the wrongful death lawsuit.
I think that log is trouble. I have been there many times and it is a horrible accident waiting to happen. The kids love it- but these young and pre-teen children don’t have the same awareness as adults or even teens when it comes to safety -especially on a pool toy like the log and when it is so ctowded. It seems to me most parents accompany their children but when a parent is responsible to watch more than one child it gets tough. The risk virsuses the reward of such an elaborate pool with to few lifeguards or control could be deadly. I say play it safe free up the swim space. It is just to hard to expect these lifeguards to watch all the kids -even in their assinged area.
Who can berate a 16 or 17 year old lifeguard? These kids are doing the job they were hired to do, which is to enforce the rules at the pool and to assist any person in trouble. They are not trained doctors or paramedics. Question asked over and over here: Where were the parents? Absorbed in their iPads or IPhones, as so many are, instead of swimming with or watching their child.
Great idea, let’s get the names of all of the medical professionals that are willing to get certified and volunteer to work at the pools. We’ll have the safest swimmers on the planet.
I was there with my six year old daughter. The water was really cold after the storm last week and we were warming up together after a dip. Then a lifeguard came round and said a kid had puked in the pool and so everyone had to get out. I was at the other end of the pool to where the kid was, next to the diving board on a lounger, but I had a clear view once I worked out what was happening. The lady to my left had a better angle and could see the kid lying down at the side of the pool. That was about 30 mins past. She said someone should call 911 – I looked for my phone but by the time I got to it she had already made the call and was walking towards the kid. There were half a dozen lifeguards around the kid and he didn’t move – not one bit. I really do need glasses to see well at a distance though. A lifeguard tried CPR, then the traffic lady came round and did some more CPR around 33 mins past. We could hear the ambulance coming but it took a long time. I think they were at the kid at 35 or 36mins. Another lifeguard came round and asked us to leave. I was out of the way and stayed a bit longer – I didn’t want to stop the ambulance folks from doing their job by providing an obstruction with my person or my car. It was very distressing- the kid looked about the same age as my son. I am an engineer not a doctor and the last time I was a lifeguard was twenty years ago in high school. I wanted to be of more help but I helped by staying out of the way. Nobody came past me to get to the kid from around the pool. There were plenty of lifeguards doing their job efficiently and well – they had the kid out of the pool, they checked his airway, breathing and circulation. The parents were off to my left next to the tennis court so again the lifeguards did their job. CPR was attempted and others managed the crowd. Fifteen minutes before it happened a couple of families were playing around at the diving board. The lifeguard immediately put an end to it and they moved round to the other side. Maybe we do need to limit parking on the street to get a straight shot to Colonial pool without having to navigate traffic. Either that or have a paramedic on standby – maybe the cold water was a contributing factor? I am just very glad the kid is okay. Frankly, I thought he had died and it was very upsetting indeed.
30 mins? Really hard to believe it took West U EMTs to get there in 30 min since it only takes 15 min to drive across the ENTIRE city, even with traffic!
… 30 mins past the hour. It was 31 mins past when I picked up my cell phone.
Parents were not there and I was told that this child has almost drowned in west u pools multiple times. He has seizures.
Actually the parents were not present and the lifeguards did exactly what they were supposed to do. It is a liability if another person other than a lifeguard assists a victim and a law suit could occur if the result is negative, especially if the lifeguards are not the ones in control when they are supposed to be. This is the same kid from last year; he seized once again and that could not have been prevented. In a situation like this, screaming parents do not help and should have just stayed out of it. These lifeguards were calm and did what they could and probably did it better than any “doctor” present at the pool.
I saw the boy roll off into the water. Attracted by rapid motion, I noticed the female guard stand at attention. She blew the whistle, entered the water and commenced the rescue. The angle from the location of the boy to the guard-chair’s straight-ahead view placed the scene at the very edge of her field of view. She must have maintained a steady state of vigilance to so quickly recognize this as an emergency. The boy made no noise indicating he was in danger. The floating log feature and another child would have further distracted what was happening below the wrinkled surface of the water. Its been over 20 years, but I used to train life guards, and I was not picking up on the fact that the boy was in trouble when I saw him under the water. That rescue was brilliantly executed, and an inspiring thing to behold.
After she lifted the boy up out of the water, she gestured and the other guards emptied the pool. One guard took charge of victim assessment, others sought emergency services, and others dealt with the unprofessional behavior of a few boneheads. The entire team acted professionally and deserve praise from the community in equal measure of the prayers that are going out for the victim.
It seems here that we still have a lot of parents who were shaken up by these events. I find it very hard to believe it took over a half hour for response, as one poster stated, as evidenced by the fact that the child survived. The fire department/ambulances are 4 blocks away. It seems that, although scary, everything worked as intended.
I think it is natural to ask where the parents were, but I sense that others on this board are looking to place judgement as if, somehow, their own superior parenting skills will ensure their child’s safety. Be thankful this kid is okay and be diligent when at the pool with your own kids. Lets not let these comments turn nasty.
It diid not take 30 minutes. The person who posted above was making references to the time — 30 past the hour, etc. Please re-read — it appears that the emergency response was quite appropriate.
The boy was still breathing when he was removed from the water, so no CPR was performed. You do not perform chest compressions on someone that is breathing. Everyone is an expert, but unless you were there and actively engaged in the rescue, then it’s difficult to make an informed comment. And to the woman that told my 16 year old lifeguard daughter that she and the other lifeguards do not know what the F*** they are doing, you should be ashamed of yourself.
I recently received my lifeguard certification and it is true that compressions are not given to any victim who is breathing. From what I can interpret, the situation was handled properly according to the Red Cross Lifeguard certification that is a requirement to work at the Colonial pool. The course itself is rigorous and requires total knowledge of situations such as this, and for good reason; no matter how aware the lifeguarding staff is, there is no way to prevent a seizure, but a Lifeguard can (and in this case did) prevent drowning as a result of it. The title of the article seems misleading because “nearly drowned” can be interpreted many ways.
Ken – please thank your duaghter and the rest of the lifeguards.
The child’s parents are the root of this problem. If your child has a known seizure disorder and has had a near drowning before, leaving him unsupervised in the water is unconscionable.
CPS MUST be called.
Next time HE WILL DIE due to the negligence of his parents – no lifeguards, WUPD or bystanders will be to blame.
Who are these people? I will personally call CPS – give me their name.
Amen Ken! I was not there yesterday but do know it’s the same boy who was saved last year by my daughter! He has history of seizures! Parents who were yelling at the guards should be ashamed and making matters worst. Please get your facts right and stay calm! I hope the boy recovers and the lifeguards do as well!
Not judging parents but was only curious why they were not there, especially if the kid had seizured before in a pool. I learned a lot reading these posts. I hadn’t thought about the liability of doctors getting involved, etc. Makes me appreciate the lifeguards even more. I felt certain the kid was not alive. It was just so scary. The young kids were pretty amazing under so much pressure.
If it is true that the child has seizures, then he needs to have someone always with him in the water. I agree with the writer that said, “play it safe, free up the swim space”. West U doesn’t need a Theme Park. When West University finally got a swimming pool, there were no structures, just people so lifeguards could easily see them if they got into trouble. I do remember some giant inner tubes when I was a kid and trying to surface and not being able to because one of the tubes was blocking me. I still remember the moment.
Congratulations to the lifeguards. It sounds like they were among the few that did not panic.
It is so interesting to hear both sides of the story. I was there and I was told that the child was lifeless and that the guards would not give him CPR and would also not allow any of the available doctor parents near the child. In fact, one person (a lawyer) suggested that there are West U Police cameras that can be reviewed later and used against the Colonial pool and the lifeguards for mismanagement of the situation. Now that I hear the other side of the story, I am relieved to know that we have well trained young lifeguards watching over our kids. It is absolutely correct that in a situation like this, the true professionals do not panick and that someone with a witnessed seizure, with a pulse who is breathing does not require CPR. The lifeguards did well to get the kid out of the pool, to empty the pool quickly so that they did not have anyone else to worry about, to call the EMT quickly who were there at the kid’s side within a couple of minutes, and to prevent all the passionate but potentially irrational parents away from the kid. Believe me inappropriate and unprofessional CPR can cause significant damage.
Who do I need to talk to to get a copy of the tapes? I would LOVE to figure who that lawyer was and plaster his name and comments all over the Net.
Way to uphold the stereotype of your profession, Mr. Attorney.
His parents should be ashamed of themselves, letting him go to the pool after almost dying a few months ago and not even having the good sense to be there with him. Kudos to the lifeguards for acting quickly and preventing disaster (twice).
IUC…
I’m sure they are, even without you telling them to be.
I was there too. The lifeguard staff did NOT do CPR. It was awful. There were trained medical people offering help boldly and they were angrily pushed away by the lifeguards. It was outrageous because the boy was gray and not moving at all.
When 911 arrived they immediately started compressions at first glance pf the kid. Apparently he is in a coma and not doing well. Whoever said he was ok does not know the facts. The lifeguards forgot all their skills in the moment and should’ve stepped aside. Now an adverse event will likely be the result of this. I am not surprised about the young lifeguards but the manager should’ve been able to do better. How awful for our once safe pool.
If you were not there you should not be commenting. The child’s color was terrible. It doesn’t matter if it was from a seizure or drowning. That means poor circulation which then means start compressions. The lifeguards were floundering. We should not be praising them.
What a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacks. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I was not there. But I will comment. You DO NOT give CPR if there is a breath and a pulse. So it appears the life guards did the right thing. But I am neither a physician or a life guard.
But moreover, shame on you again and again. These teenagers are mostly our neighbors, They were responding the to the second swimming pool seizure from this same youngster s in the last year. Where were the parents?
These lifeguards train to to provide lifesaving. They did not train (or sign-on) to being foster parents. I ask again: Where were the parents ? This kid had a history of seizures that caused near drownings in swimming pools. Where were the parents?
I was not very far from the child and I saw no chest rising at all. His color was terrible like I said before. I could see that through the crowd. Why would the EMS girl jump on him with agressive compressions if he did not need it? why is he in the ICU if he was not in critical condition? Sorry Mark. You do not know what you are talking about. And moreover, it doesn’t matter if there parents were there or not. Lifeguards are supposed to be trained to take lifesaving measures, hence their title. If the parents were there would THEY have beeen expected to perform cpr? No. That is what the pool staff is supposed to be for.
So if you had a blind child, you would let her walk to the grocery store relying on the police department to protect her from oncoming cars?
This child had a history of seizures in public swimming pools. The responsibility lies squarely with the parents, not on some high school kids who took a two-week course in lifesaving.
Also, by you own words, the paramedics did not perform CPR. Why? Because it would have been wrong. As for the chest compressions: West U paramedics are highly trained. Don’t’ expect a high school kid in a speedo swim suit to have those same skill set. It is attitudes like yours that will cause society to close all public pools because of liability concerns.
Put the blame where it belongs; the parents should have never sent this child to a public pool with his history of near drowning seizures.
How can anyone argue that point?
Is it hard for a child to gain access to the swimming pool? I haven’t seen anything about age. In the old days, I don’t recall any problem with just riding my bike to the pool and going swimming. My parents never went with me and I believe it was free.
I was there last year when this same child almost drowned. Apparently he had another “near drowning” incident before the one I witnessed. Now, are you kidding me? This happened again….same child 3 times!? I also noticed his father reading a book not paying one bit of attention to his child when the second incident occurred. So on the third occasion, he was not even accompanied by an adult. I am sorry if I my child had already had one near death experience in a pool I am pretty sure I would be watching him like a hawk. Everyone needs to take a long hard look at the parents, not the lifeguards. Let’s get real.
It’s interesting to read all of this and it shows you how stories get convoluted and how people who aren’t even present at something can make their own judgments with no firsthand knowledge. The lifeguards are adequately trained, as I understand it. It seemed as if they froze under pressure. The point made about the child’s color is important. That is part of the overall assessment that wasn’t taken into consideration. The child was also never put into recovery position. He likely had fluid in his lungs. You always turn them to their side in case they regurgitate from seizing. There were many things done wrong. It was hard to stand there and watch. The anger that I saw from the bystanders was valid. They were frustrated that they were not allowed to help. I am in the medical field as well. The profanities and anger was spoken for many of us there. It was hard to stand by and watch a child dying…and waiting over 5 minutes until EMS did compressions.
The kid was not in the recovery position (on his side) because the lifeguards and the policewomen were leaning over the kid doing what looked like chest compressions (CPR) while the kid lay on his back. I was however at the other end of the pool without my glasses on and it’s been twenty years since I was a lifeguard in the UK.
However, most of the time (90 percent) the kid was just lying there on his back motionless. That’s what I could see from the other side of the pool.
The lifeguards did not do CPR. The police woman did and she was not present for several minutes. The kids froze. I don’t blame them but they truly did.
Mark- re-read. The paramedics DID perform CPR. And you weren’t there, remember? Of course the child’s parents should’ve been there. I am sure they are dying inside right now. They don’t need anyone to berate them for that.
Ana, your observations are chilling. Imagine, though, if a civilian had attempted first aid and the boy did not respond well to it? That person would now be facing manslaughter charges (I’m sure the lawyer in attendance at the pool would have taken care of that, no doubt). The common sense in all of us (well, all but the lawyer) compels us to want to help in a situation like this, but the rules of our society, for better or worse, can sometimes dictate otherwise.
Make it personal — what if your husband or child was the good samaritan who jumped in to try to help? What if they were now facing hundreds of thousands of dollars of legal fees (insurance doesn’t cover that) and the prospect of doing multiple years of time behind bars? Would you still want them to be the first ones to offer help when there are trained people available? Tough question. Our altrustic side compels us to say “Yes” but think about the unfair consequences that could ensue.
I am not understanding your post. The “trained people available” were not allowed to help.
Sorry — the trained people were the lifeguards and then the paramedics.
You said that the lifeguards did not do an adequate job (opinion). Others present said that they did do a good job (opinion). One of the people above, a witness like yourself, said that within the first 3 minutes a lifeguard attempted CPR. At the 3 minute mark a police representative attempted CPR. 2 minutes later the paramedics arrived. In the span of 5 minutes a LOT was done to try to save the boy (let’s not forget the lifeguard who spotted the boy in the first place — without that initial quick thinking and action we wouldn’t even be having a discussion about who should have administered first aid).
Doctors are not superheroes. I know them very well. They are fallible. There is no guarantee that if one doctor had been allowed access to the boy in those five minutes that he/she would have done any better. If the boy is in a coma it is not because of the people who tried to help, it is because he seized and drowned. Let us not look for culpability where it does not exist.
… we don’t live just anywhere. It seems like every other parent is a doctor in West University. It seems like if a doctor (or anyone else) steps up and says “I am trained in emergency procedures and I take responsibility” then they should be allowed to. What if one of the parents was a doctor … would the lifeguards tell the parent to back off? Lots of questions.
The conflict during and after the incident shows that at the very least there needs to be more communication on what to do in such circumstances. Further, it seems that the current policy may not be supported by the majority of West University residents. I am not a big government person but in this case a registration system for nurses and doctors willing to help in such circumstances and linked to the entry card may help – just an idea.
I don’t know what it is like to have a child that seizes, so I will not pass judgment. It must be very tough for everyone concerned and my prayers go out to the boy, his parents and his family. I sincerely hope that the little boy pulls through. As I said before it was a very upsetting experience for those that witnessed this.
I gotcha Ana; don’t berate the parent’s (even though you agree that are at fault) because you don’t want to pile on. But it is ok to beat the hell out of the high school kids who are life guards?
For those who will undoubtedly question my comments, I was there. I saw the boy face-down in the pool. I watched the lifeguard quickly jump into the pool and bring him to the side. I was at the edge of the pool where he was lifted from the water. He was unresponsive. He was gray and there were no signs that he was breathing. The lifeguards did the best they could given their training and the stressful situation, but they did not check his airway and they tried several times to find a pulse. Despite what others have said here, the pool staff did not initiate CPR. They watched the boy, presumable in shock themselves. No chest compressions and no ventilation until the policewoman appeared on the scene. If he did have a pulse and was breathing, he should have been placed in the rescue position; however the fact that the police officer immediately began chest compressions suggests that he was not in such good shape. I understand the whole thing about the liability in allowing bystanders (medical or otherwise) to assist, but this is a childs’s life we are talking about here. Screw the lawyers. If the people responsible are not able to perform lifesaving measures (and that’s not saying they didn’t do as much as they were able to under the circumstances), step aside and let someone else try. If I’m ever in trouble and somebody shouts that they are an ER nurse, please let them try to help save my life and shame on anyone who criticizes them for trying.
I was not there but it must of been horrible. The real issue is not to find falt but to move forward. It could be any of our children face down in the pool for one reason or another. The cause of the near drowning is not the issue. The issue seems to be – should have a system set up that would allow our MD’s or RN’s assist. They could volunteer – have a form of identification- a symbol on pool card or wrist band. Of course when buying a pass or paying to enter we would have to sign a contract stating we understand in extreme situations ( when a child or adult is lifeless and color has gone) the neighborhood MD’s (who have been cleared to volunteer) can assist. We are lucky in the since that we do have great lawyers and great doctors in our neighborhood. The goal is the same – to use the resources that are unique to West U and have the best system set up for such extreme emergencies. Great Job lifeguards for getting him out of the pool! I cannot even imagine being in your situation that day. Possabiliby watching a young boys life slip away and being responsible for the care- all at the age of 16. Wow- that’s courage.
This is exactly my account. I was at the nearest chair to the boy and agree with this account
My daughter was there and this is also the same account I got from her and the adults she was with. They thought he had died and were extreemly upset that nothing was being done until the police woman started doing CPR. If it would have been my child and a doctor or nurse came to help, I would have demanded that they do whatever they could to try. The longer the brain is without oxygen, the more damage it does. Time is critical. Someone should have started CPR IMMEDIATELY!
and where were mom and dad? Are you people insane? This kid had a history of episodes like this in swimming pools. Why would the parents let him go in a swimming pool without a constant monitor based on his past history? SAD SAD SAD. But the parents should have never let the child go to to public pool un supervised.
Give it a rest Ana, you have no idea what you are talking about. Don’t go away mad, just go away, and please take Larry with you.
Close bystander and Ana said it exactly as I saw it too. I was right there,although silent. I regret my silence, but I can see speaking up would’ve done no good because others tried. Yes some of the lifeguards were young, but the manager Julia is not.i heard her telling the doctors to go back off. That would’ve been fine had she been doing what she should’ve done. Again we are all speaking in circles. Yes parents should’ve been there, yes the medical professionals around shoulde been allowed to help, yes the lifeguards panicked, yes this whole thing is unfortunate. what matters most is that the boy is likely not going to survive. Let a judge decide who is at fault. In the future, don’t rely fully on lifeguards to be guarding lives. Be with your kids…not on the phone or sunbathing, but really with them.
I was told not to read these comments, but here I am. I was one of the medical people turned away. First off I want to apologize Ken for the language I used with your daughter. It was out of my character and I hope to tell her that in person someday if I can recognize her. Until then, please tell her. This whole event has taken many forms of life, as I can read here. Right now my concerns and prayers are for the child and his family. As for the other day, all I can say is whe you’ve been trained to save lives, and you’ve done it for years, it becomes a passion and your mission. It is never my place to interfere where someone else is doing that. We know when we are supposed to let others do their jobs. The lifeguards were undoubtedly trained well and have proved that many other times, I suspect. On this particular day, it appeared that they reached a pont where they may have needed a hand. The offerings of myself and the other doctors came from a genuine place of care and comradery and not malice. Besides being medical personnel, we are all parents, which made it more personal. These were young people with a serious issue before them. I remember being a young lifeguard and it is scary when you are faced with an emergency. For reasons they felt were valid, they refused our help. This was where emotions heightened because we were watching the child decline-visual clues you notice when you are trained for this- and minutes are precious. It is our civil duty to do what we can wherever we are. It was a frustrating feeling to not be able to use the skills we are armed with while a child’s life was in the balance. At that point, it was not about hurting feelings or being politically correct with language. It was about life and death. Everyone has an opinion about all of this and the entire matter is very difficult. Who is right…who is to blame…these are the questions flying around. I know these kids are capable. We’ve been at the pool for several years now and always felt safe there. I am sure this event will be an instrument for them to learn from. I pray that the boy and his parents are blessed with a miracle and that the staff recover emotionally regardless of the outcome.
I think it was very brave and upstanding of you to apologize. I am not a nurse but was there and agree with your account of the details. I can see how you got emotional. It was terrifying to watch. I think people think we are upset or judging the young lifeguards by saying it’s OK for them to ask for help. That’s not the case at all. They did a great job getting the boy out of the pool and doing the initial assessment BUT when it was clear the boy was deteriating, I wish they would have let a doctor/nurse intervene. I feel positive that if the parents were there , they would have begged for a doctor or nurse to intervene to help save their child. I believe one can say that AND also say the lifeguards did a great job.
Please keep us posted on boys condition
If my child was drowning please let doctors help
You have inexperienced teenagers with a very basic lifeguarding class taking care of a child that has had a seizure and you don’t want a doctor or nurse to help. An intelligent policy would be to get the very best and most highly trained person to help the child immediately because time is of the essence if you are not breathing and your color is gray. The recreation director should be fired if he has told the lifeguards to not let any doctor or nurse help in a situation like this. This neighborhood seems to want disabled children put in cages for their parents to carry around so the rest of you don’t have to be bothered. That is really archaic. Those of us with disabled children want them to have as normal a life as possible and that means giving them a chance to go out on their own even if there are risks involved. And Mark there are some enlightened places in the US where blind people get around all by themselves. West U stop denying disable kids the right to go to your school and your pool and have a little compassion
If your child is disabled, he or she likely needs and DESERVES extra care and attention.
If your child has a known seizure disorder and has had a near drowning before AT THE SAME FACILITY no less, leaving him unsupervised in the water is unconscionable, and quite frankly may be criminal. A child with a seizure disorder needs CONSTANT arm’s length supervision in the water by someone who knows and understands his condition. Lifeguards at a public pool simply cannot be expected to serve that roll. If those parents can’t or won’t accompany and care for him at the pool, they could get an aide, a certified sitter, or pay an off-duty lifeguard etc etc to give him the one-to-one attention he needs & deserves while in or near water. Nobody is saying the kid can’t be there. He just needs proper seizure precautions.
Sadly, it is possible that next time HE WILL DIE due to the negligence of his parents – no lifeguards, WUPD or poorly behaved bystanders will be to blame.
Who are these parents? If you know them and care at all about this child PLEASE call CPS. Not because they have a disabled child. because they have a disabled child whom they are NEGLECTING and putting in mortal danger.
Interesting discussion on similar topic of whether lifeguards should defer to off duty people who claim to be medical professionals:
http://aiconnect.ning.com/forum/topics/how-should-we-train-lifeguards
I wonder what will be discussed after an adult swimmer has a
not so near incident at the WU Recreation Center pool when it’s:
“Swim At Your Own Risk, No Guard On Duty” hour$?
If the parents were there I guarantee they would have asked for help from the doctors. I would be screaming for help from the doctors and nurses if it were my child. That was the eeriest part of the whole incident. No one was screaming for that child. It was clear the parents weren’t there.
As a parent of one of the lifeguards who was on duty the day of the accident I am confident that my child has the necessary skills to properly respond and adequately treat all different types of emergency victims. In addition to the standard CPR certification the lifeguards are also CPR-AED certified as well as Lifeguard/First Aid training. As such, the CPR-AED training includes resuscitation techniques for all victims including siezure victims. Additionally, they are trained in the use of automatic external defibrillators if needed; however, they were NOT necessary in this situation because the child was never pulseless. As such, resucue breathing was the correct method of treatment for this child. As many people have incorrectly stated, the lifeguards did NOT need to perform compressions because the child was never without a pulse. Unfortunately, the police officer who arrived at the scene began compressions WITHOUT realizing that the child did have a pulse and did not confirm with the lifeguards on duty that the child was breathing before compressions were started. Perhaps blame should be placed elsewhere and not on the lifeguards who did exactly as they were taught. Unfortunately, my child continues to suffer emotional distress because so many parents continue to place blame where it shouldn’t be. Instead of the constant negativity towards the hard-working young men and women who give of their time to help others by ensuring a safe environment to swim in, some of you parents should be thanking them instead. And to the parents who talked so disrepectfully to the lifeguards you should think about how your own child would feel if they were treated the same way.
No one is blaming ur child. We r asking why couldn’t a dr help?
I wonder how all of the lifeguards are feeling, I bet they’ve probably read these comments and are feeling highly frustrated and hurt. All they do is serve us patrons year round and have people tear them down and place blame when a terrible event happens. I’m imagining that they feel really let down from lack of support. Most of y’all should be embarrassed.
a legal question- if my child was a victim of near drowning at Colonial Park pool and in the same condition as this boy- could I ask the lifeguards to stand back and allow a doctor to take over until the paramedics arrive? Or would the manger and lifeguards trump me? I think that is a very important issue to know. As a parent, we are use to making medical decisions for our children- would we be allowed to decide who we wanted to work on our child until the paramedics arrived?
If your child is disabled, he or she likely needs and DESERVES extra care and attention.
If your child has a known seizure disorder and has had a near drowning before AT THE SAME FACILITY no less, leaving him unsupervised in the water is unconscionable, and quite frankly may be criminal. A child with a seizure disorder needs CONSTANT arm’s length supervision in the water by someone who knows and understands his condition. Lifeguards at a public pool simply cannot be expected to serve that roll. If those parents can’t or won’t accompany and care for him at the pool, they could get an aide, a certified sitter, or pay an off-duty lifeguard etc etc to give him the one-to-one attention he needs & deserves while in or near water. Nobody is saying the kid can’t be there. He just needs proper seizure precautions.
Sadly, it is possible that next time HE WILL DIE due to the negligence of his parents – no lifeguards, WUPD or poorly behaved bystanders will be to blame.
Who are these parents? If you know them and care at all about this child PLEASE call CPS. Not because they have a disabled child. because they have a disabled child whom they are NEGLECTING and putting in mortal danger.
I am sure the lifeguards are trained but they are not doctors and nurses and this situation was beyond the training of a lifeguard. The lifeguards were too young and inexperienced to realize and react to this. The fault lies with Tim OConnor. He is too busy with might is right to think of the welfare of the children and familites of the neighborhood. When has it ever been best to not allow a doctor or nurse to help in an emergency situation. Why would our neighborhood pool have such a policy when there are so many doctors and nurses available. Instead of having the doctors and nurses volunteer to help in emergencies let the patron decide if they want a lifeguard to help them in a medical emergency or a medical professional who may be at the pool. You can put on my card get me a medical professional
as someone who lives across the street from the pool and as a lifeguard of 3 years the job these young lifeguars did was incredible and to say the least commendable. I have never seen a group of teenagers act in such a professional and efficient manner under such high-pressure circumstances. Bravo
Water is hazardous for young children. In fact, as much fun as water can be, it’s dangerous no matter where you find it — in a bucket, bowl, toilet, tub, sink, puddle, pool, or elsewhere. Parents can avoid tragedy by taking this old adage to heart: A child can drown in less than an inch of water.
The best way to protect your child from accidental drowning is to NEVER take your eyes off him for a minute. My family enjoys our wonderful community pool and my husband or I keep a close eye on our child the entire time we are there. In fact, we are never a few feet away from our child when at the pool or near any water source. There is NO excuse not to take responsibility for our child’s safety! Had the child had a parent, guardian, sitter actively watching the situation likely could have been avoided. The child’s parents are negligent period.