Children's Safety Zone

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. ﾓAugust is drowning impact awareness month, and Queen Creek firefighters want to remind residents of the ABCs of water safety: Adult supervision, Barriers between children and water, and Classes in CPR for adults and swim lessons for children.

Drowning is a top cause of injury-related death for children in Arizona, especially in the one- to five-year-old age group. Child drowning is preventable, but sometimes, little can be done for a child once he or she has fallen into the water. Drowning can be avoided by following these important and life saving rules:

• Maintain constant adult supervision at all times.
• Install barriers surrounding the pool. Fences should be five feet high and gates should be self-closing and self-latching.
• Keep items that can be used for climbing away from pool fences.
• Never keep toys in or around a pool.
• Have a phone nearby. Post the 9-1-1 emergency telephone number and the physical address of the pool on the phone.

Purple ribbons recognizing the importance of water safety and the impacts of drowning are available free-of-charge at Queen Creek Town buildings and both Queen Creek fire stations through the month of August.

ANTHEM, AZ – Strong storms in Anthem dumped enough water to overflow a wash and knock down a brick wall Tuesday night.

A woman, who asked only to be identified as Jeannette, said she was in her backyard when the brick wall collapsed.

“I actually went under water and was stuck under my hot tub,” she told ABC15.

Jeannette said she swam as hard as she could to the surface and hopped on a nearby fence until a neighbor helped rescue her.

Across Anthem, debris cluttered neighborhoods and roadways.

Landscaping crews expected to work overnight to clean up the mess.

Authorities say a 30-year-old man drowned Sunday afternoon while swimming at Lake Pleasant.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s officials said the accident happened around 3:45 p.m. in the area of Fireman’s Cove.

Police said the man was at the lake fishing with friends. Witnesses said he was swimming in the lake with a fishing pole in his hands, when he tried to reach an island area.

The victim’s friends told ABC15 the man suddenly went under water without a struggle. Crews found him 45 minutes later, but it was too late.

Police said the accident is still under investigation.

Authorities have identified a man who died after a car went into an irrigation canal Friday morning in Avondale.

The 911 call came in around 3:15 a.m. when someone spotted the small passenger car already in the canal on the southwest corner of 99th Avenue and Thomas Road, said Detective Reuben Gonzales with Avondale police.

Phoenix and Avondale police and fire departments responded to the scene.

Crews attempted to rescue Derek Limon, 27, who was trapped in the vehicle.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Officer Chris Hegstrom said a witness saw Limon’s car brake just south of Thomas Road and the car go into the canal and flip over.

The canal is reportedly seven feet deep.

Hegstrom said no drugs or alcohol were found in the car and the cause of death will be determined pending the results of a toxicology report from the Medical Examiner’s Office. No foul play is expected.

A four-year-old boy nearly drowned in a backyard swimming pool on Tucson’s southwest side Sunday evening.

Initial reports were that the boy was in an inflatable inner tube and slipped under the water and was found at the bottom of the pool at the home in the 6700 block of South Villa Molina de Viento, said Tracy Koslowski, a spokeswoman for Drexel Heights Fire District.

The boy was taken to the hospital, but his current condition is unknown, she said.

Koslowski says it’s important to remember that pool toys are not meant to be life-saving devices.

“Inflatable water wings and inner tubes are not a good layer of protection for young kids that are not strong swimmers,” she said. “A life jacket definitely would have made a difference with this child.”