Toddler Taken To Hospital After Near-Drowning Incident In The City

Clark County Fire Department rescue unit responded to a home inside the city at 4:45PM Thursday afternoon after a toddler fell into a backyard swimming pool on the southwest side of the city. The child was revived by the mother and later transported to the UMC Pediatric Unit. The child was semi-responsive and breathing on their own while enroute to the hospital. 

The mother told firefighters that she was cooking and the young child apparently crawled through a doggie door to the backyard. She was looking out the window when she saw the child fall into the water and ran out and pulled the child from the water. She said the child was only in the water for a minute. She told fire dispatchers she did C-P-R on the child which started breathing and crying. After firefighters arrived on scene, the child was examined by the paramedics and transported to UMC for examination. The toddler was “semi-responsive” according to fire personnel on scene. 

Doggie doors have been a problem this year when it comes to children and the backyard pool. If the family pet is given access to the backyard at anytime, the child can also use that access. Children many times will follow the pet through the door. Either the doggie door should be locked shut or a barrier, such as fence, should be around the pool so children can not get to the pool.