Near Drowning A Reminder To Parents To Keep Eye On Children

It’s getting warm outside and the kids will be out of school soon. No doubt, more of them will be spending time going swimming.

That also means parents need to be more careful.

A 2-year-old little boy nearly drowned Sunday in a pool at an Upper Valley home. Police say he was reaching for a toy in the water.

It’s a tragic scene repeated all too often in El Paso.

“If you have a pool – especially without a gate – we really urge you to watch your child,” said Detective Mike Baranyay, with the El Paso Police Department.

This near drowning was eerily similar to a drowning last year.

On May 6, 2009, 2-year-old Monica Galvan fell into a pool while playing with her brothers and sisters.

“She liked to play with her floaties,” her older sister told ABC -7 at the time.

Her family told ABC-7 they hoped their loss would serve as a wake-up call to other families.

“This should serve as a lesson,” said Galvan’s Uncle.

It’s a lesson Laura Castle has taken on as her life’s mission by starting the Drowning Prevention Coalition.

“It doesn’t have to do so much with lack of supervision most times, it’s really the lapses of supervision, which happens to the best of parents, ” said Castle.

In 2006 her 4-year-old son Christian went swimming with a family friend and drowned at the Coronado Country Club.

“Seventy percent of all drownings happen with one or two parents around and up to 75 percent of children are missing for 5 minutes or less,” said Castle.

And don’t let your guard down. Last year, nine children drowned in El Paso County.

Most of the drownings happened at home.

“It really only takes a split second before your kid ends up inside the pool,” said Baranyay.

Tips For Parents

-Always have an adult watching children near water.

-Make sure you have a gate, wall or pool cover.

-Learn CPR.

-If a child goes missing – look in the water first.

-And never leave toys in the pool that could attract children.

Among children ages one to 14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional deaths.

If you want to read up on the Drowning Prevention Coalition or set up a presentation with Laura Castle…just call 915-241-2484.