The Dangers Of Small Children And Pools

Toddler dies after being found in garden pond by mother
By Mail Online Reporter
Last updated at 8:36 AM on 28th August 2010
A toddler died after being found in a pond in the grounds of his mother's home, police said.

The 23-month-old boy, whose name was not released, was discovered at 5.15pm yesterday, at an unspecified address in Stank, Cumbria.

The little boy was discovered by his horrified mother who sought help from neighbours.

Frantic attempts were made to resuscitate the boy before he was taken to Furness General Hospital in Barrow.

Detectives would not clarify if the boy was taken to hospital by his family or ambulance but they said the hospital alerted police.

A force spokesman said: 'Police are dealing with the death of a 23-month-old child in the village of Stank near Barrow.

'They were alerted by hospital staff after the child had been taken there after being found by its mother unconscious in a pond within the grounds of the house.

'Neighbours attempted resuscitation but tragically despite their best efforts the child was pronounced dead at the hospital.

'Specially trained officers are with the family and inquiries are continuing to establish the exact circumstances surrounding this tragic event.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1306923/Toddler-dies-garden-pond.html#ixzz0xuLdZoSn

I don't know whethre she was checking on the baby every half hour, and whether she was told this was reasonable parenting.

Either way, a very tragic accident. Poor baby. xx

Another drowning tragedy, TFG. This happens far, far too often.

As CAPFSA (Child Accident Prevention Foundation of SA) says:

WATCH THAT CHILD - CHILD SAFETY IS NO ACCIDENT!

Another example of a child being taken to hospital following an accident and the Police being summoned. Something the McCanns wished to avoid at all costs. If innocent parents guilty of only a momentary lapse in observing their children can face Police questioning imagine how serious this would have been for the McCanns who could in no way even begin to explain to hospital staff let alone Police how such an accident could have befallen their daughter, who had too many witnesses putting them in a bar when an accident could have occurred, and then following on from this had witnesses putting them in a bar again when deterioration/death could have occurred. No wonder they hid her, blaming it on abduction, and no wonder they hurriedly tried to concoct a timeline of checks. Better to treat her themselves, as doctors, hope she recovers, and better to slag the Police off rather than take her to hospital and face questionning. Cowards, the lot of them.

LJC wrote:Another example of a child being taken to hospital following an accident and the Police being summoned. Something the McCanns wished to avoid at all costs. If innocent parents guilty of only a momentary lapse in observing their children can face Police questioning imagine how serious this would have been for the McCanns who could in no way even begin to explain to hospital staff let alone Police how such an accident could have befallen their daughter, who had too many witnesses putting them in a bar when an accident could have occurred, and then following on from this had witnesses putting them in a bar again when deterioration/death could have occurred. No wonder they hid her, blaming it on abduction, and no wonder they hurriedly tried to concoct a timeline of checks. Better to treat her themselves, as doctors, hope she recovers, and better to slag the Police off rather than take her to hospital and face questionning. Cowards, the lot of them.

LJC I do this also.... I invariably find myself comparing the actions of people who discover a child injured or in distress, thinking to myself, "At least they haven't done a McCann."

malena stool wrote:

LJC wrote:Another example of a child being taken to hospital following an accident and the Police being summoned. Something the McCanns wished to avoid at all costs. If innocent parents guilty of only a momentary lapse in observing their children can face Police questioning imagine how serious this would have been for the McCanns who could in no way even begin to explain to hospital staff let alone Police how such an accident could have befallen their daughter, who had too many witnesses putting them in a bar when an accident could have occurred, and then following on from this had witnesses putting them in a bar again when deterioration/death could have occurred. No wonder they hid her, blaming it on abduction, and no wonder they hurriedly tried to concoct a timeline of checks. Better to treat her themselves, as doctors, hope she recovers, and better to slag the Police off rather than take her to hospital and face questionning. Cowards, the lot of them.

LJC I do this also.... I invariably find myself comparing the actions of people who discover a child injured or in distress, thinking to myself, "At least they haven't done a McCann."

No, people take their kids to hospital if they care or if they know what's good for them, got no sympathy for those that 'do a McCann' but do sympathise with the poor little victims of their cruelty.

Can anyone actually believe this reply / comment??

"Something needs to be done too many children are drowning in ponds cant TV programmes highlight the dangers--- make parents fill their ponds."
- E.R, North Wales, 28/8/2010 13:01

Nothing needs to be done. There are all sorts of parents: careful ones, careless ones, unlucky ones. Accidents can happen to anyone and must not be regulated against. If the parents were negligent, then so what? They're already suffering enough and will have learnt their lesson.

- Louise, Edinburgh UK, 28/8/2010 15:12

I really don't mean to say this, but fuck you, Louise from Edinburgh! You disgust me!!

Had the pond been covered with a mesh then the child would not have fallen in and drowned, jad the mom been watching the child closely she would have seen him approaching the pond and pulled him away or she would have heard the splash and noise of him struggling and gone to his aid.
Children and water do not mix.
Yes she may be suffering the loss of her child but had she been doing her job properly then he would still be alive today and we would not be having this discussion.
parents have to realise they are responsible for their kids, accidents can and do happen but as parents it is your repsonsibilty to make sure that you make the house and environs as child safe as possible.
Some things cannot be guarded against, those are true fluke accidents but things like falling in ponds, drowning in baths, pulling hot drinks over oneself can all be guarded against simply by moving things out their reach, never leaving them unattended at bath times and covering pools and ponds until the child is a confident swimmer. if a child dies because of a preventable accident then you must be prosecuted for neglect and manslaughter.

Yes hobnob,i totally and utterly agree with you .Children are on loan to parents to look after,so therefore should be watched at all times.jf.

docmac wrote:Can anyone actually believe this reply / comment??

"Something needs to be done too many children are drowning in ponds cant TV programmes highlight the dangers--- make parents fill their ponds."
- E.R, North Wales, 28/8/2010 13:01

Nothing needs to be done. There are all sorts of parents: careful ones, careless ones, unlucky ones. Accidents can happen to anyone and must not be regulated against. If the parents were negligent, then so what? They're already suffering enough and will have learnt their lesson.

- Louise, Edinburgh UK, 28/8/2010 15:12

I really don't mean to say this, but fuck you, Louise from Edinburgh! You disgust me!!

seconded docmac.

Sounds like it could be from a pro.........

JOHNFRANCIS wrote:Yes hobnob,i totally and utterly agree with you .Children are on loan to parents to look after,so therefore should be watched at all times.jf.

Exactly JohnFrancis - Parents dont OWN their children although some sadly think that they do. They dont realise that they are loaned to them for a very short period of time to look after. Many adults, by the time they reach their forties, have spent far more time living with a partner than they ever did with their own mother and father.
That is why children are so precious - we have them only for a very short time.

I know someone who lost a 2-year-old daughter in exactly this same sort of accident many years ago. The child had been in the kitchen with her mum, the phone rang in the hall and the mum went to answer it, the little girl opened the back door and must have gone straight to the pond because when her mum came off the phone just a minute or two later and looked outside for the child she was already in the pond - dead. The pond was usually covered with a net but it had been taken off just that morning so that the pond could be cleaned. I know the mum has never forgiven herself for what happened, she had a nervous breakdown at the time and has suffered depression periodically since then.

I agree that accidents like this are preventable, but sometimes even the best parents take their eyes off their child just for a few minutes too long, forgetting about a source of danger nearby. There are degrees of carelessness/recklessness and not all cases are the same. In the case I mention the pond wasn't usually a danger, because it was kept covered with a net, but on this particular day it was dangerous and the tragedy happened. There's a big difference IMO between this sort of accident and an accident that occurs because the parent thinks a child is capable of looking after herself at the age of 2 or 3 and can be left alone for much longer periods. In the case of the holiday makers in Praia da Luz there were so many things that could have gone wrong with the children during the lengthy periods they were (allegedly) left alone, things that all the parents must have been well aware of - fire, accident, illness, intruder ... and in the McCann case, a door left unlocked to allow easy exit for a wakeful 3-year-old. To me, that sort of disregard for their children's safety was bordering on lunacy, it was the complete opposite of responsible parenting, as I think it would be to anyone with a grain of common sense.

Dimsie wrote:I know someone who lost a 2-year-old daughter in exactly this same sort of accident many years ago. The child had been in the kitchen with her mum, the phone rang in the hall and the mum went to answer it, the little girl opened the back door and must have gone straight to the pond because when her mum came off the phone just a minute or two later and looked outside for the child she was already in the pond - dead. The pond was usually covered with a net but it had been taken off just that morning so that the pond could be cleaned. I know the mum has never forgiven herself for what happened, she had a nervous breakdown at the time and has suffered depression periodically since then.

I agree that accidents like this are preventable, but sometimes even the best parents take their eyes off their child just for a few minutes too long, forgetting about a source of danger nearby. There are degrees of carelessness/recklessness and not all cases are the same. In the case I mention the pond wasn't usually a danger, because it was kept covered with a net, but on this particular day it was dangerous and the tragedy happened. There's a big difference IMO between this sort of accident and an accident that occurs because the parent thinks a child is capable of looking after herself at the age of 2 or 3 and can be left alone for much longer periods. In the case of the holiday makers in Praia da Luz there were so many things that could have gone wrong with the children during the lengthy periods they were (allegedly) left alone, things that all the parents must have been well aware of - fire, accident, illness, intruder ... and in the McCann case, a door left unlocked to allow easy exit for a wakeful 3-year-old. To me, that sort of disregard for their children's safety was bordering on lunacy, it was the complete opposite of responsible parenting, as I think it would be to anyone with a grain of common sense.

I agree with you Dimsie. The next story is out of my own experience. Once we were staying with friends in France. My daughter was about 4 nearly 5 years old then. Because they had a swimming pool she wore those little (inflated) bands up her arms and I never let her out of my sight.
One evening we had dinner by the pool. The table was practicly next to the pool. For her allowing to eat we took of those bands.
One moment there was a big bug in the water that she wanted to look at it. I allowed her to look, but because we were still eating, didn't put the bands on her arms. But I followed her with my eyes each step (and the pool was not that big) what could happen.
The moment I saw her coming back to us she was just a few meters away, I continued my talks with our hostess. The next moment she stand next to me, dripping from head to toe. My jaw literally dropped to the floor. Appearently she went in (and out) of the pool!.
"Mommy", she said to me. "I went swimming, but sank, so I did like the dog." It all happend within seconds.
I realised that we went through a needles eye. But from this experiency I will never strongly judge this sort of cases. It can happen that quick.
(Thank God she's 12 now, but now there are other dangers luring around earch corner )

BTW thats another thing I can't believe the McCanns story. Because of the risk Madeleine would (we know of the crying incident she could) wake up and wandering, looking for her parents at the Tapas, with the swimming pool in between. And the warnings of the OC staff of recent break-ins would someone with sense leave the appartment unlocked. Even without kids in it?