Children's Safety Zone

MARANA, AZ – A woman who was swept away in a flooded southern Arizona wash during heavy monsoon rains was found dead Friday, authorities said.

Pima County sheriff’s officials said the body of 52-year-old Angelina Carrasco was recovered from her car, which was found upside down and partially submerged in a flooded wash north of Tucson.

Multiple law enforcement and fire agencies had searched by air and ground for hours for Carrasco, whose husband was injured in the incident.

Sheriff’s spokesman Tom Peine said deputies got a call from a motorist stuck in a wash early Friday. The man, who was able to get out, said he heard another man yelling for help and saying his legs were broken.

Rescuers in the community of Marana found that man on a sand bank surrounded by water around 6 a.m. He told them he had been there for hours but his wife had been swept away. The man in his 60s was taken to a hospital for treatment of a fractured pelvis, according to authorities.

Three other vehicles were found in a wash nearby, but the occupants were safe, Tucson TV station KVOA reported.

Meanwhile, several drivers had to be pulled from their cars by fire crews in the Phoenix suburbs of Goodyear, Mesa and Apache Junction.

Goodyear fire crews used a raft to rescue a man who was stranded atop his utility company truck in a flooded wash Friday evening.

The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings Friday morning for parts of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, after up to 3 inches of rain fell in some areas.

A stretch of the U.S. 60 freeway in the area was inundated, with drivers having to cross flowing water and traffic backed up for more than a mile.

GOODYEAR, AZ – Fire officials say a 2-year-old boy who was found floating in a swimming pool earlier this week in Goodyear has died.

The drowning incident happened around 4 p.m. Tuesday at a home near Van Buren Street and Sarival Avenue.

Goodyear fire spokesman Russ Braden said the boy died Thursday morning.

A parent of the child found him in the pool, Goodyear police Lt. Scott Benson said.

The boy was not breathing on his own and was initially listed in critical condition when he was airlifted to a hospital.

Authorities said the drowning happened at his grandmother’s house after other children had just gotten home from school.

Everyone lost track of the boy, authorities said.

There was a pool fence, but it’s unclear if it was open or closed at the time.

They said they believe the child was under water for at least five minutes.

GLENDALE, AZ – Authorities say a 2-year-old girl is in critical condition Wednesday after she was found in a swimming pool in Glendale.

The incident happened around 12:30 p.m. near Northern and 109th avenues.

The girl’s mother noticed she was missing and searched their house, before finding the girl floating in the backyard pool face down, said Sgt. Brandon Jones with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

After calling 911, the girl’s mother and grandmother started performing CPR as directed by the fire department, Jones said.

The girl was awake and crying before being airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Jones said.

She has since been listed in critical condition.

Deputies said they believe the girl crawled out of the house through the doggie door. The swimming pool does not have a fence around it.

It’s unclear how long the girl was in the pool.

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.

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.

For more information about the Water S.M.A.R.T. Babies program click here.