1-year-old drowns after falling into backyard kiddie pool, Louisiana cops say
A 1-year-old was playing in the backyard of a home in Kenner, Louisiana, when she drowned in a partly-drained kiddie pool that had less than a foot of water in it, police say.
The toddler is believed to have fallen into the pool around 8:15 p.m. Thursday, July 20, according to a news release from the Kenner Police Department. She was playing with her 4-year-old sibling at the time, WVUE reported.
“It was only 9 inches of water in that pool. It wasn’t a full pool,” Capt. Michael Cunningham with Kenner Police told WVUE. “It is a tragic event.”
The young girl had a pulse when her parents pulled her out of the pool, officials said, but she later died at a hospital.
Police say they don’t yet know if any charges will be filed, and the investigation is ongoing.
Kenner is about 10 miles northwest of New Orleans.
Less than 50 miles away, a 7-year-old boy in Slidell, Louisiana, drowned Saturday, July 22, in an above ground swimming pool, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office said, according to WVUE. He had been left briefly unattended, officials say.
“Sadly, these deaths occur all too often and each and every one of them is avoidable,” St. Tammany Parish Coroner Dr. Charles Preston said, according to WDSU. “The first rule of water safety for children and their parents or guardians i[s] ‘eyes on the water at all times.’ No child should ever be left unattended or unsupervised for even a moment.”
Drowning
The number of drowning deaths in the U.S. has been following an upward trend for the last several years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Louisiana had the fourth-highest drowning rate in the U.S. from 2018 to 2021, and historically, July records the highest number of drowning deaths each year.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 4. At least 4,000 people die from drowning every year in the U.S., according to the CDC.
Some factors can make drowning more likely, including not knowing how to swim, a lack of close supervision, not wearing a life jacket and drinking alcohol while recreating near or in water.
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance said there are tips to help keep you safe in the water, including checking local weather conditions, never swimming alone and choosing the right equipment.
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