MESA, AZ – A 2-year-old child was found unconscious in a back yard spa on Saturday, according to the Mesa Fire Department.
Upon arriving at the location near US60 and Superstition Springs Boulevard, Mesa FD crews found the child breathing, but unconscious.
The child was transported to Cardon Children’s Medical Center for treatment.
TUCSON – We have a few weeks left in our Kristi’s Kids, News4 Tucson Lifesaver season. Since January 1, 2012, Pima County has seen one child drown in a bathtub.
Another nine kids have nearly drowned.
One is too many so local experts are bringing the Water S.M.A.R.T. Babies program to town.
Created in Broward County, Florida where they’ve recorded up to 12 fatalities in recent years, pediatricians play a key role in saving swimmers’ lives. Along with other educational efforts, Broward County saw a 50% reduction in drownings of 5-year-olds and younger in one year after implementing S.M.A.R.T. Babies.
Dr. Julie Klein is a physician in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Tucson Medical Center. She’s treated many children who’ve nearly drowned.
“Part of what’s heartbreaking is that it is preventable.”
Dr. Klein is excited for Water S.M.A.R.T. Babies which stands for Safety Materials and Rescue Techniques.
Basically, pediatricians write a prescription for swim lessons before a child turns one. While in the past, doctors feared exposing babies to water would eliminate a natural fear of water, new research shows many children have a natural curiosity of water.
In drownings of 1 to 2-year-olds, most of them gained access to a back yard swimming pool without the adult being aware.
“I interpret that as showing that many young toddlers are curious about water,” says Dr. Klein.
The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona (DPCA) is launching the program here.
“So basically what we want them to do at the 9 or 12 month well check is truly get in and go over this with the parent,” says Tracey Fejt, DPCA Secretary. “And the prescription is for water safety lessons.”
The parents also will receive information about all the layers of drowning prevention from the pediatrician at well baby checks.
Some think that’s what made the Florida program so successful.
“We can talk to people all day about what you need to do. But when it’s coming from a physician, it really makes a difference,” says Fejt.
Dr. Klein agrees. “Seeing something in writing on a prescription pad by the pediatrician that just really makes an impact.”
The idea is to teach a basic survival skill. If babies can learn to flip onto their backs and cry or yell for yelp, that could provide precious seconds for a rescue. Without being taught these skills, they typically sink to the bottom and wait for help.
PHOENIX – A 4-year-old boy died after being found in a motel pool Saturday afternoon.
Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Larry Nunez said there were two families at the motel pool, located near 7th Street and the I-17.
There was a miscommunication about who was watching the kids and there were five total in the pool, according to Nunez.
A 13-year-old jumped in after 4-year-old boy, who was in the 8-foot deep end of the pool. He told ABC15 off-camera they were at the pool celebrating his birthday when they noticed the child was missing.
The child was transported to the hospital in critical condition, but later died.
It’s unknown how long he had been underwater.
SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ – Authorities say a 1-year-old girl has died after she was found in a swimming pool Tuesday afternoon in San Tan Valley.
Colin Williams with the Rural/Metro Fire Department said the girl was in the swimming pool for an unknown amount of time at a home near Skyline Drive and Gary Road.
Authorities said the backdoor to the house was left open and the child went in the backyard and fell into the pool.
The grandmother came out a short time later and discovered her granddaughter still in the pool. The grandmother jumped into the pool, pulled the child out and performed CPR on her until emergency crews arrived.
The child was transported to a local hospital and then transported by air ambulance to Cardon Children’s Hospital in Mesa where she later died.
The name of the child hasn’t been released yet.
TUCSON, AZ – Authorities say a 3-three-year girl has died from an apparent drowning after being found in a Tucson family pool.
Northwest Fire District firefighters say the girl was located late Saturday and pulled from the backyard pool. Officials say the child was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators say the girl, her mother and her father were at the home for a gathering. The girl was reportedly last seen around 15 minutes before being discovered in the pool.
Officials say pool did not have any fence or barriers around it.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department is investigating.
In recent weeks we have had one child drowning and a near drowning of another child. Children, 4 years of age and younger, represent the largest number of drowning victims and it is a reminder for anyone responsible for children to never leave them unsupervised around water. With temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, people are starting to look to water recreation for relief.
Arizona is consistently one of the states with the highest numbers of drowning cases. You might expect that of California or Florida with many miles of beaches, but this just shows that it doesn’t take an ocean, it could just takes a few inches of water. Infants can drown in as little as one inch of water, and it can happen in “just a few seconds.” Every year Arizona loses more than a classroom full of children to drowning. There are a few basic steps to reduce the risk of adding to these figures, we call it the ABCs of drowning prevention.
“A” is for Adult supervision. If children are around water, they need constant, responsible, undistracted, adult supervision. Designate a “Water Watcher” whose only responsibility is to watch the children. If that person has to leave the area, someone else takes over or everyone leaves the pool area with them.
“B” is for Barrier fencing. Every pool should be enclosed by a barrier fence at least 4 feet high. It should have a self closing, self latching gate. Pool toys should not be left in the pool, they attract children, and furniture should not be near the exterior fence where it can be used to crawl over. Pool alarms are also added security.
“C” is for Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), learn how to perform CPR in the event that the unthinkable does happen. In addition, although we cannot “waterproof” our children, teach them to swim (the City of Yuma’s Parks and Recreation program has many great classes). First responders often hear “It was only a few seconds” or “I thought someone else was watching”. Do all you can do to prevent drowning (www.preventdrownings.org provides some excellent tips) and have a fun and safe summer.
For more information, or to set up a class, call Mike Erfert at 373-4850. Follow us at
Phoenix police are working to identify a man whose body was found floating in a canal Sunday afternoon.
Investigators say he was fully clothed.
Sometimes police recover bodies of those who drowned after trying to swim in the canals, but police do not think that’s what happened in this case.
They’re trying to identify the body to get more clues on how he ended up in the canal.
People stood and watched as the Phoenix Police Department’s dive team pulled the body of a man from the canal near 43rd Avenue and Peoria Sunday afternoon.
“It’s something to hear that…I’m sad that happened, especially on Father’s Day. I hope it wasn’t a husband or something like that, or a dad,” said James Greco, who lives in the area.
Investigators say the man, found dead in the water, was fully clothed, wearing a tank top and jean shorts. He still had his shoes on.
Because of that, detectives do not believe the man was trying to swim in the canal, like some have attempted to do before.
Police believe the man went in the water somewhere between 43rd Avenue and Peoria and 31st Avenue and Dunlap.
They say he could have been in the water a day, but they have no missing persons report in the area.
Police say a man, waiting at a bus stop, first spotted the body in the canal around 1:30 p.m.
Greco lives nearby.
He’s surprised no one spotted the body sooner, if it had been in the water for so long.
“That’s kind of strange because a lot of people go fishing here. It’s a very friendly canal. There’s always people jogging and walking. I walk my dog here all the time,” said Greco.
Detectives say there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body.
Investigators say they walked the canal and found no signs of a struggle.
Police say the man in the canal had a lot of tattoos, which they hope will help identify him.
“Wow, I was out here earlier. I didn’t see nothing in there. I don’t know how that could happen and no one notice,” said Greco.
Investigators say they’re cross-referencing the man’s tattoos with those they’ve documented from people they’ve arrested as they try to identify him.
A 2-year-old drowned in a backyard pool after the pool fence was left propped open during a family gathering.
The toddler, who was visiting the home, was transported to the hospital in extremely critical condition, but was later pronounced dead, despite efforts by the homeowner and sheriff’s deputies to save her.
“When I came from church and saw all the sheriffs, that’s when I found out something was wrong,” said Brenda Jack-Rushing, a neighbor.
Neighbors were in disbelief as sheriff’s deputies’ cars lined up outside a Litchfield Park home, where a 2-year-old girl drowned around 1 p.m. Sunday.
“As deputies arrived on scene, the homeowner was administering CPR, at which time sheriff’s deputies took over administering CPR to the child,” said MCSO Deputy Joaquin Enriquez.
Investigators say several adults and children were at the house, near Bethany Home and Dysart, for a family gathering.
“It’s my understanding the victim, the 2-year-old, was with parents visiting at this location,” said Enriquez.
Deputies say there was a fence around the backyard pool, but they say the gate was propped open. Family members say they lost track of the little girl for just two to five minutes.
” I do know the homeowner is the one who pulled the child out of the pool and began administering CPR on the child,” said Enriquez.
“It’s sad anytime you hear a kid that drowns,” said Jim Roberts, a neighbor.
Roberts lives nearby.
He says with four young children, he and his wife specifically looked for a home without a pool.
“We’d rather have the kids be able to go outside and play without the risk without the worry, ‘Where are the kids?'” said Roberts.
“It’s important that we watch our kids around water, especially at an age where they’re vulnerable and willing to go outside and explore, and unfortunately this one this cost us,” said Enriquez.
“Just a tragedy,” said Jack-Rushing. “My heart and my prayers go out to them.”
Neighbors say the family that lived in the home moved in just last week.
Deputies say no one else was in or around the pool at the time of the drowning.
According to the Children’s Safety Zone, four children have drowned this year in Maricopa and Pinal Counties.
The body of a man who went missing after jumping off a cliff into Saguaro Lake on Sunday was found on Friday, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
Justin Otto Lee Anderson jumped from a 300-foot cliff west of Sandy Beach and didn’t resurface, Sheriff’s Office officials said. His body was found in the area Friday. Sandy Beach is located at Saguaro Lake in the Tonto National Forest.
Various witnesses said they saw Anderson, who was in his early 30s, hit the water on his back and never resurface.
Aerial searches were conducted by the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Safety. An underwater search vehicle was used on Sunday to look for Anderson.
An off-duty Phoenix firefighter saved a 3-year-old boy from drowning Saturday afternoon, fire authorities said.
The firefighter, whose name was not released, found the boy floating at a resort pool near 16th Street and Belmont Avenue at about 3:30 p.m.
He quickly pulled the child from the pool. The child was lifeless and not breathing. The off-duty firefighter began CPR and after a few minutes, the child regained consciousness, said Phoenix Fire Department spokesman Capt. Jonathan Jacobs.
“The actions of this firefighter were crucial in the survival of this child,” Jacobs said.
The child was rushed to a local emergency room. He was in stable condition.
