PHOENIX — A 1-year-old girl has died after being pulled from a bathtub in west Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Phoenix Police Department.
When Phoenix firefighters arrived at the home near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road, a family member had pulled the girl from the tub and was performing CPR. “The patient was in extremely critical condition,” said Captain Evan Gammage.
It's unclear at this time how long the child was underwater. Police said the child was transported to the hospital in extremely critical condition, where she later died from her injuries. Firefighters said a crisis response team is now helping the family.
Phoenix police say the child had been left in the care of the mother's boyfriend, who was also looking after three other children. The boyfriend told police he had the baby's sibling watch her while she was in the bathtub as he stepped out of the room, police say.
The sibling later alerted the boyfriend that something was wrong with the baby, prompting him to call 911.
This is the latest of several drownings reported in Phoenix.
According to the city, there have been 66 drowning incidents from the beginning of the year to the end of June. Out of those, 16 people have died, including seven children.
Captain Gammage said, “That’s why we do our best to educate the community and always remind people to keep your eyes on children and our at-risk community around bodies of water.”
This is a developing story. Stay with 12News for updates.
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Drowning Prevention Tips:
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between ages 1-4 aside from birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three children die every day as a result of drowning. Here are some tips from the CDC on how to protect children around water:
Learn life-saving skills.
Everyone should know the basics of swimming (floating, moving through the water) and CPR.
Fence it off.
Install a four–sided isolation fence, with self–closing and self–latching gates, around backyard swimming pools. This can help keep children away from the area when they aren’t supposed to be swimming. Pool fences should be completely separate the house and play area from the pool.
Life jackets are a must.
Make sure kids wear life jackets in and around natural bodies of water, such as lakes or the ocean, even if they know how to swim. Life jackets can be used in and around pools for weaker swimmers too.
Keep a close watch
When kids are in or near water (including bathtubs), closely supervise them at all times. Because drowning happens quickly and quietly, adults watching kids in or near water should avoid distracting activities like reading books, talking on the phone, or using alcohol and drugs.