SURPRISE, Ariz. — A 3-year-old girl has died after a drowning incident at a Surprise home on Tuesday.
First responders were called out to a home on 158th Avenue just before 2 p.m. for a reported drowning in a pool. That neighborhood is near Greenway and Reems roads.
The little girl was found in the backyard pool and was unresponsive. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The child's mother told police she and her child usually take a nap during the day.
That day, while the mother was asleep, the child accessed the backyard of the home, officials said. The family told police there are usually safeguards in place to prevent the child from accessing the backyard and pool but were not in place at the time.
An adult family member who had returned home found the child in the pool, officials said.
It is still unknown how long the child was in the pool before being discovered by the family member. Firefighters say the girl could have been in the water for up to three hours before she was found.
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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 separate from 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.
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