4-year-old from NC dies from drowning while on vacation on Hilton Head, coroner says

Jake Shore
·1 min read

A 4-year-old boy died from drowning on Sunday morning after authorities found the child in a pool on Hilton Head Island, according to the coroner.

Aanay Sojitra, 4, of Cary, N.C., died from his injuries at Memorial Health Medical Center in Savannah at around 10 a.m. on Sunday, said Beaufort County Coroner David Ott.

He was on vacation with his family on Hilton Head. On Friday, Sojitra had fallen into the pool and was found after 10 to 15 minutes, Ott said.

Deputies responded to the rental home on Sandy Beach Trail at 5 p.m. for a call of cardiac arrest, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage.

The child was taken to Hilton Head Hospital, before being rushed to Savannah’s hospital.

He succumbed to his injuries Sunday morning.

Sojitra’s autopsy will take place at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston this week.

In the past year, at least five children have died from drowning in Beaufort County.

A 2-year-old and a 9-year-old died in separate pool incidents in July 2020. Three children died from drowning after a car went off the J.E. McTeer Bridge between Lady’s Island and Port Royal in September of last year.

Data from S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control shows that more than 85% of drownings among children ages 1-6 are pool-related.

Here are tips DHEC provides to prevent children from drowning:

  • Never leave a child unsupervised in or around water inside or outside the home.

  • Install four-sided isolation fencing at least 5 feet high, equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates around pool areas.

  • Have children wear personal flotation devices.