The parents of a one-year-old baby girl found her in the bathtub and she is now in critical condition.
The girl, who lives in Maricopa, was taken to Cardon Children’s Hospital Wednesday evening.
When the Maricopa Fire crews arrived they found the girl in her parents’ arms breathing but not alert.
Details of the incident are still under investigation.
A 3-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was found at the bottom of a Mesa pool Thursday evening, officials said on Friday.
The boy was found at about 5:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of South Del Rancho, according to the Mesa Fire Department. The boy was treated at the scene and then taken to Banner Desert Hospital.
When the boy arrived at the hospital, his heart was beating and he was breathing but he was not conscious.
There were apparently 12 adults at the home at the time of the incident, but fire officials said they did not know whether the boy’s parents were among them.
Check back with azcentral.com for updates.
As families prepare to celebrate the last 3-day weekend of the summer, the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona stresses the importance of vigilance and layers of protection.
“Distractions and lack of barriers are the most common broken links in the injury prevention chain for drownings,” says Lori Schmidt, President of the DPCA. “This is especially true during holiday weekends. When adults are busy with guests, food preparation and entertaining, children often find themselves with easy access to the water.”
Another scenario that’s common is multiple people poolside but no one watching the water. Adults and children have drowned because everyone assumed someone would notice when there’s trouble.
“Designating someone to be guardian of the water can reduce the risk of drowning significantly in pool party settings,” says Schmidt. “Rotating that duty every 20 minutes between sober, responsible adults who know how to swim can save the lives of those in the water.”
A physical reminder such as a lanyard, wristband or hat that can be exchanged between the “lifeguards” can help. These materials can be obtained for free through the DPCA.
Year-to-date drowning numbers, as reported by the Children’s Safety Zone, indicate that Maricopa County has experienced 41 deaths, including 15 children, resulting from 136 water-related incidents this year.
“We hope to halt these numbers through the end of the year,” Schmidt says. “This can only be done by adults taking responsibility for themselves and their families, and it starts with this Labor Day weekend.”
The DPCA stresses that families should take a 3-pronged approach to drowning prevention: Block, Watch, Learn.
Block: Block access to water hazards. Put fences around pools, use protective covers on spas, close bathroom doors and dump out water buckets. Watch: Watch each other around water. Neither adults nor children should swim alone. And if you lose track of children, always check your water hazards first. Learn: Learn CPR and ensure all family members know how to swim.
# # #
The Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, a community based organization comprised of parents, health and safety professionals and business leaders, exists to provide a forum to prevent drowning and near drowning through the promotion of education, legislative action and enhanced product safety. Check out our website at www.preventdrownings.org for more information.
As a parent, I often find myself guilty of the “do as I say, not as I do” trick. I confess to telling my kids how important it is to get a good night’s sleep, but I sometimes stay up late watching TV myself. I talk about how important it is to be prepared for a school day, but forget to plan for my own day at work. And, I tell them to try new things, but I sometimes stay with what’s comfortable.
Developing our new parent program, “Playing it Safe,” has been a challenge for me. Existing programs are easy, mostly. New ideas mean taking risks, planning for the unexpected, stretching my wings.
“What if it fails?” I ask myself. “What if no one will participate?”
We started more than a year ago with research, then developed and piloted the program, and now we’re offering it to the community. I told myself to be brave and take chances. And it’s gotten a great reception “ﾓ there are plenty of requests from the community, and after every single session I get positive feedback and a good feeling that I’m making a difference.
One of the most surprising things I’ve learned from talking to parents is just how many adults do not know how to swim.
This is not something people admit when they first speak to a stranger, and maybe that’s why I haven’t heard it spoken of, until now. When we talk about drowning prevention in small groups, we share our stories and solutions, and begin to get to know each other, and that’s when a parent feels comfortable enough to mention it. I’d estimate that one or two out of every 10 parents I speak with can’t swim.
A tragic case in Glendale recently illustrates how important it is for adults to talk about this subject. Last month, a 37-year-old mother jumped into her pool because she thought her 5-year-old son needed to be rescued. She could not swim, and by the time she was rescued, her injuries were so severe that she ultimately died.
We always include supervision when we talk about drowning prevention. But I’m urging parents to take a hard look at who can be their “Water Watcher.” Children need constant, capable supervision when they are near the water. “Capable” means old enough to supervise, sober, aware of who is in charge, able to give CPR and able to swim.
My grandmother did not know how to swim, and never learned. She missed out on the simple pleasure of kicking across the pool on a hot summer day, and was not as safe around the pool as she could have been.
It’s awfully hot out there right now, folks. Don’t stay up too late watching TV on these sweltering summer nights and prepare ahead of time for your work day. Also, try something new, and if you don’t know how to swim, I think you know exactly where to start.
There have been 34 more drowning incidents in 2011 in the Phoenix metropolitan area totaling 129 compared to 95 reported at this time last year, according to Valley of the Sun fire department officials.
As temperatures continue to climb in the triple-digits, East Valley residents “ﾔ both young and old “ﾔ will continue to be fixtures at public and neighborhood watering holes.
With swimming pools becoming popular attractions so rises opportunities for dangers of drowning, East Valley fire department and district officials contend.
According to the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, there have been 129 water-related incidents including drowning and near-drowning instances in Maricopa County with 39 deaths including 15 children.
The Apache Junction Fire District has reported one incident resulting in the death of a child less than 5 years old. The Queen Creek Fire Department has not reported any water-related incidents in 2011 as of Aug. 17, according to department officials.
There have been two water-related incidents reported in Pinal County including Apache Junction. Both incidents resulted in the death of two children, according to the drowning coalition.
Ed Swift, Children’s Safety Zone founder, says the spike in incidents from last year to this year reported by Valley fire departments is alarming and shows the same trend: “People believe it just won’t happen to them,” he says.
The Children’s Safety Zone “ﾔ available at childrenssafetyzone.com “ﾔ compiles, among other things, reported drowning incidents where both near-drowning and drowning incidents are reported by Arizona public safety entities that voluntarily opt to provide the information in an effort to gather data on the summertime epidemic, Mr. Swift says.
“They are up. We keep the up-to-date statistics on the website, but, boy, they are coming in really fast,” he said in an Aug. 17 phone interview of incidents reported in Arizona. “We have had eight of them in the last three days.”
The increase of more than 30 incidents on an annual basis is a disturbing trend that can be stopped, Mr. Swift says.
“It is significantly up and this is just Maricopa County,” he said noting that data from outside Maricopa County is gathered when made available. “This is the first time I have had some information from outside the region … so, numbers are up everywhere.”
Since 1998, Mr. Swift has been gathering data and ever since that time, the same excuses for not taking a proactive approach to prevent both child and adult drowning incidents has revolved around the same mantra.
“Frustratingly, they literally say the same things,” he pointed out of what he has heard in years’ past. “”ﾘThis just won’t happen to me’ … that is what everybody thinks.”
In the news
One of the most recent and publicized drowning incidents illustrating Mr. Swift’s point is the Aug. 10 drowning of an 8-month-old baby under the care of an adult in the 10000 block of East Praire Hawk Lane in rural San Tan Valley, he says.
On Aug. 10, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office dispatch received a 9-1-1 call from a caller who reported that her neighbor had rushed over with an 8-month-old baby who was not breathing and blue in color, according to Elias Johnson, PCSO spokesman.
The mother “ﾔ Patricia Schettler “ﾔ claimed at initial police interviews she had only turned away for a second to grab a towel and her daughter was immediately submerged in her infant bathtub, Mr. Johnson says.
The baby was pronounced dead 24 hours later and now the mother’s story of what happened has changed, according to Mr. Johnson.
“Here’s the thing, the official stance was she was involved in a traumatic event,” Mr. Johnson said in an Aug. 17 phone interview. “We even interview our detectives after they are in a deadly force situation and it is hard to get a clear definition of what happened.”
Ms. Schetter’s story has changed from pulling away for a second to pulling the drain, leaving the room and attempting to repair her non-functioning cell phone, Mr. Johnson says of statements made to PCSO investigators.
“She admits to pulling the draining plug, leaving the room and messing with her cell phone,” he noted. “Are we saying that she gave us false information? No. She is giving new information for what she thinks happened. We are not taking a stance on how long the child was in the water.”
Mr. Johnson says he is anticipating to receive autopsy results no later than Aug. 24.
“That will be the last piece of the puzzle,” he said of the pending autopsy results. “The county attorney will have the last say in the matter of charging.”
The ABCs of drowning prevention “ﾔ a common mantra taught among East Valley fire and ambulance entities “ﾔ hinges on adult supervision, barriers and CPR classes, public safety officials say.
Barriers created and the attending of CPR classes are good ways to be proactive, but the most effective manner to prevent child drowning remains adult supervision, they say.
Not always reported
When it comes to avoiding child drowning, adult supervision trumps all other efforts, East Valley public safety officials agree.
But something not always reported is who the other most susceptible demographic of people is, according to Tina Gerola, Apache Junction Fire District fire and life safety specialist.
“Those over the age of 65 drown more than 5 year olds who are both at-risk across the board,” she pointed out in an Aug. 17 phone interview. “We (adults) don’t make the news, but a child does.”
Intoxication of varying levels and types almost always play a role in an adult-drowning case, Ms. Gerola explains.
“Usually when an adult drowns there is usually alcohol involved or medication has been taken,” she pointed out. “Most commonly is they are intoxicated and impaired by medication.”
Sidebars:
The ABCs of water safety
Source: Water Safety Day pamphlet
Safety tips
Source: Water Safety Day pamphlet
Drowning facts
Source: Water Safety Day pamphlet
Want to know more?
For more information on water safety facts and drowning prevention efforts, events and techniques go to the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona’s website at http://www.preventdrownings.org.
QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. – A baby girl was found unresponsive in a bathtub at a home in Queen Creek near the Hunt Highway and Arizona Farms Road Wednesday afternoon.
The child, just 8-months-old, was blue in color, wasn’t breathing and had gone into cardiac arrest.
According to Rural Metro crews, she was found by her mother, who then grabbed the girl, ran to a neighbor’s home and called 911.
The girl was given CPR and rushed to Banner Ironwood Hospital in extremely critical condition. On the way, EMTs were able to establish a faint pulse.
The baby was then air lifted to Cardon Children’s Center in Mesa. Doctors have not been able to stablize her, and she is not breathing on her own. As of 3:30 p.m., doctors have not been able to detect any brain activity.
We’re told family members are now gathered around her at the hospital, saying their goodbyes. Doctors are required to wait 24 hours before declaring a patient brain dead.
The mother claims the girl was in the tub for a few seconds. She claims that she turned away to grab a towel and the child was floating face down.
The mother in this case has been identified as Patricia Schettler. Her daughter is named Chevelle Schettler.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is investigating.
A 57-year-old man was found unconscious and pulled out of a swimming pool during a family party northwest of the city.
Firefighters of the Northwest Fire District arrived in the 9800 block of North Camino de Oeste shortly before 4:30 p.m. and found that family members had performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man. They were given instructions from 911 dispatchers, said Capt. Adam Goldberg of the Northwest Fire District.
The man regained a pulse, but was not breathing on his own when he was transported by paramedics to Northwest Medical Center in critical condition, Goldberg said.
No other information was immediately available.
Stay tuned to azstarnet.com for updates.
SCOTTSDALE – What exactly does a “near drowning” mean? We hear the term all the time in Arizona, sadly. Often times we’ll tell you paramedics re-established a child’s pulse, and that child is now in critical condition. But what happens to these children after all that?
We met one Scottsdale family going through that very journey, 25 years after their near drowning tragedy.
“One minute one minute and you can’t take it back”ﾦ I ran outside and my dad was pulling my little brother from the pool. He was white, blue lips”ﾦ I never heard my mother scream like that,” recalls Lesia Crawford, Andrew Hill’s sister.
“I remember them putting him back in the ambulance. I remember seeing my dad cry for the first time, I’d never seen my father cry”ﾦ he was just covered in tubes and all sorts of machines”ﾦ you don’t know what to expect but it definitely changes your whole life.”
Andrew was 2 years old when he fell into his parents’ backyard pool. He was able to undo a lock on the door, and there was no fence in place.
He spent about 5 minutes underwater, suffering severe brain damage. Doctors predicted he wouldn’t live long — but Andrew is now a grown man.
“The doctors told us you can take him home to die for Christmas. Here he is 27 years old,” says Lesia.
Andrew is bed-ridden. His hands, legs, and feet are disfigured from no use. He can’t speak, but he can laugh.
The tragedy took a toll on every family member. Andrew’s parents’ marriage didn’t survive. Eventually a step mom entered the picture, admirably stepping into the role of wife, mother, and caregiver.
Terry Hill walks us through a typical day.
“First thing in the morning you have to turn him because he’s been in one position all night”ﾦ he’s allergic to so much the only protein we can give him is chicken or turkey or fish,” she says.
Everything must be pureed because he eats through a feeding tube.
“He gets broccoli and cauliflower that’s been cooked”ﾦ you have to give him so much then stop for a half hour let his stomach process and then give him the rest of his breakfast then you have to let that settle before you start doing percussions which is hitting his chest.”
There are daily breathing treatments, medication, and loads of laundry. And through it all, constant checks on Andrew. He can’t be left alone for more than 15 minutes, except at night.
“It takes two of us to put him to bed for the evening, you have to make sure he’s positioned correctly. Sometimes he’ll get a cramp in his muscles you have to rub it out or you have to hold his head or deal with that through the evening.”
For the Hills — it was never a question of whether to take on the responsibility of constant care for Andrew. But doctors say every family’s situation is different — with every non-fatal drowning — comes a very painful reality.
“We’ll get their heart rate back, blood pressure all of that, but then the hard decisions come about — where is that child going to be next week, five years from now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now,” says Dr. David Beyda, Phoenix Children’s Hospital. “There’s a difference between being alive and having a life.”
This family’s plea: “Pay attention to your children, don’t look away for a second if they’re out playing in the pool you need to play with them,” says Lesia.
Especially those who may be a little more curious and independent.
“Those are the very same traits that are going to draw like a magnet that child to a pool,” says Terry.
“Don’t let that perfectly healthy child of yours turn into a lifetime of suffering for the family and for that child,” says Lesia.
So far this year 96 people have suffered injuries or have died in water related incidents. Doctors say anyone underwater for at least 5 minutes will likely suffer significant brain damage.
An unidentified 40-year-old California man was pronounced dead Monday shortly after jumping from a popular Copper Canyon rock cliff into Lake Havasu, said Lake Havasu City Battalion Chief James Whitt.
The call for service for a submerged subject and possible drowning victim occurred at 3:26 p.m.
“He was just visiting town,” Whitt said. “He jumped off of Copper Canyon and didn’t resurface. Witnesses said he landed on his back.”
The man was beneath the water’s surface for about 25 minutes before a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy/diver pulled him from the water.
SBCSD Sgt. Tim Smith described the man as a white male.
Smith said the man “surfaced briefly and fell under the water” before deputies responded.
The California-based agency’s diver located the man on the lake bottom “ﾔ 27 feet below the water’s surface, he said.
Whitt said the victim was pulled from the water just as the Lake Havasu City Fire Department Fire Boat arrived on scene at 3:39 p.m. from Contact Point, where the boat is stationed.
The victim was transferred from the SBCSD patrol boat to the fire boat for transport. Firefighters performed life-saving efforts including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and advanced life support treatment, but to no avail.
The man was pronounced dead after arriving at Contact Point.
River Medical ambulance service responded but later cancelled after the victim’s fate was clear.
Lake Havasu City Police Department, Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, Lake Havasu City Fire Department assisted SBCSD in the incident.
SBCSD withheld the man’s identity and place of residency Monday afternoon pending notification of next of kin.
According to figures contained in previous Today’s News-Herald articles, the death is the seventh lake-related fatality this year on Lake Havasu or the Colorado River.
The 7-year-old Somerton boy who was saved from drowning by his 12-year-old brother and a neighbor Saturday morning is back home and recovering, according to Robby Rodriguez of the Somerton/Cocopah Fire Department.
The two boys had been swimming without adult supervision at the Chaves Apartments complex in the 500 block of Somerton Avenue when the older brother went to their apartment for a drink. When he returned, he spotted the 7-year-old at the bottom of the pool.
A neighbor who was outside heard the older boy screaming and went to see what was happening.
The neighbor and the older boy pulled the boy from the pool. The 7-year-old was unconscious and not breathing. The neighbor administered CPR. When SCFD firefighters arrived at 10:52 a.m., they found the 7-year-old boy being held up by his brother and with pool water coming out of his mouth.
This is the third drowning or near-drowning instance involving children that the SCFD fire department has responded to in recent years, according to Rodriguez. A 14-month-old child drowned in a uncovered cesspool in March 2010, and a 4-year-old girl was pulled from a canal in the area of East Main Canal Bridge on the East Cocopah Indian Reservation in 2008.
“If a parent gives a child permission to use the pool, they must be there to watch the child at all times. It must be done,” Rodriguez said. “We don’t want any more children killed while being unattended.”
SCFD firefighters returned to the same complex later that same day for an unrelated medical call, according to Rodriguez, and observed five more children swimming unattended in the pool.
“That didn’t set well with us. We met with the apartment complex management (Monday morning) and offered to teach a pool safety class to all the residents. It is our job as firefighters to get this information out there so incidents like this don’t keep happening.”
Rodriguez said the SCFD is also proposing a city ordinance that establishes minimum public pool safety requirements. Currently, the city of Somerton code only requires pools to be completely enclosed by a permanent fence, wall or barrier.
The intent of the Ordinance Development Team, he said, is to specify required fence heights, gate types (self-closing), proper signage and appropriate safety devices.
