A four-year-old girl is alive after she was found unconscious in an Ahwatukee pool on Thursday. Phoenix Fire Department said the little girl was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Near drownings still have a long road to recovery
It’s a day forever ingrained in Dorothy Davis’ mind.
“That was the most terrifying moment of my life,” Dorothy Davis said.
About three and a half years ago, Davis’ daughter Emelyn fell into a pool during a backyard party. She was only 18-months-old at the time.
“I walked into them, trying to revive her and working on her,” Davis said. “At that point, there is no questions, it's just waiting with bated breath, watching and hoping.”
Emelyn is now 5-years-old. While she had significant brain damage, she’s since re-learned how to walk, talk, and more. She’s recovered better than doctors predicted.
“We are grateful every single day,” Davis said.
One thing Davis recommends to parents is to take the tips of watching your kids, having a pool fence, and more seriously.
Davis said she wishes when Emelyn fell in there had been someone assigned to watch the surface of the pool at the party.
“If we had had that one person whose only one job was to watch the water, then you know, we don't know what would have happened, but she would have had a better chance at being spotted,” Davis said.
There is no drowning ‘season’ in Arizona
Tracey Fejt with Banner Desert and the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona said drownings happen every month of the year in the state.
She added that the near-drowning in Ahwatukee on Thursday was an example of that.
Fejt said because of the nice weather Arizona enjoys, kids are drawn to the water.
“We tend to ignore our pools this time of year but we can’t do that, we really have to be aware,” Fejt said.
Fejt said simple things like having a pool fence completely surrounding the pool with an automatic closing gate is one barrier to help kids
She also said that watching your kids around water is important, and to make sure they understand that they cannot go into the pool without adult supervision.
Fejt said that swim classes can help, too. Adding private swim lessons and some public ones are still available during the pandemic. Fejt also recommends using Coast Guard-approved life jackets can help.
Find more about how to prevent drownings here.
Drownings increased in 2020
Statistics compiled by Children’s Safety Zone stated that 47 people drowned in Maricopa and Pinal Counties in 2020. That increased from 36 the year before.
"It was because kids weren’t in school, kids are home. Parents are also working from home,” Tracey Fejt with Banner Desert and Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona said. “The distractions just doubled.”
Fejt said it’s not just children that people should be concerned about drowning. Last year, more than half of the people who drowned in the Valley were adults.
“There is no reason we should be in the river or at the lake and not have a life jacket on,” Fejt said. “That should be the first thing that goes on. Just like your seat belt goes on in the car, have a life jacket on in the water.”