Toddlers fight for life after pool accident

Toddler succumbs to injuries
Canwest News Service, Thursday, June 26, 2008

VANCOUVER -- One of the toddlers who fell into a Vancouver-area pool on Sunday has died.

Andrew, 3, died from his injuries Tuesday at the B.C. Children's Hospital, three days after he and another boy were pulled, unresponsive, from an in-ground pool in North Delta. The other toddler, 23-month-old Timothy, is still fighting for his life. Their last names have not been released.

Timothy is listed in serious condition and "acutely ill" with vital signs that "are unstable and not within normal limits."

The two unrelated boys had disappeared at about 6 p.m. Sunday while playing at a baby shower being held by Andrew's extended family.

A family friend, who wasn't at the party, said that the boys had been "running around the house and being noisy" before the tragedy.

The guests realized something was wrong minutes later when it became suddenly quiet. The guests combed through the house, searching for the missing boys.

They found them unconscious, floating in the murky water of an in-ground pool in the backyard. Family members jumped in and pulled the boys out before calling 9-1-1.



Toddlers fight for life after pool accident /Children found floating in pool remain in critical condition
Vancouver Sun: Tuesday, June 23/24, 2008

Two toddlers clung to life Monday after being found unconscious in the murky green water of a backyard swimming pool in Delta, British Columbia.

The toddlers, aged two and three, were found shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday floating in the kidney-shaped pool behind a house at 11530 - 90th Avenue, adding a tragic ending to a family get-together going on inside.

They were still listed in critical condition Monday.

The boys, who are not related, did not live at the two-storey house but were there as part of a church gathering, Const. Wave Steinwand said. Their names have not been released.

"It was a family-and-friend gathering at the house so there were a number of people there," Steinwand said.

"Obviously they're very upset and waiting anxiously for an update on the children."
Police were called to the two-storey white and brown house by ambulance officials, who managed to revive the boys before they were taken to BC Children's Hospital.

It was not known how long the boys were in the pool before they were found.

The pool wasn't in use at the time and the water was a murky, stagnant green.

Steinwand said he didn't know if the pool was covered at the time of the incident, but said it took "a little time" to find the boys. He said he did not have further details.

Neighbour Navine Bath said her brother had heard the children laughing and playing before the air was punctured by screams and an ambulance showed up.

She didn't know the family well, she said, but often heard them playing in the pool during the summer.

The pool, which fills much of the large backyard, has a diving board and is one of the few in the neighbourhood, which has a mix of older and newer homes.

"People always say, 'We're so jealous, they have a pool,'" Bath said.

The house, owned by Kola and Sovanputha Ros and assessed at $429,000, is a well-kept home located across the street from Gibson elementary school.

The front lawn is well tended with shrubs and plants; the backyard is fenced with a hedge separating it from a public walkway on one side. A black Volvo was parked in the driveway.
No one would answer the door or phone calls Monday.

The incident prompted police to remind the public to take care with children around pools and lakes.

"It's the beginning of summer and unfortunately, with summer comes tragedies like this," Steinwand said. "It only takes a few seconds and something like this can happen."

A chief coroner's report last year on 33 child deaths by drowning said young children can drown in less than six centimetres of water.

In 11 of 17 cases reviewed, the children died in an artificial body of water such as a pool, decorative pond or bathtub. Ten were preschoolers.

The report said in 13 out of the 17 cases, supervision was determined to be a "critical factor" because of the physical, mental or developmental abilities of the child.

Delta regulations require that any pool more than 450 millimetres (1.5 feet) deep be enclosed with a fence of at 1.2 metres (four feet) high. The fence is to be built on the property line or surrounding the pool to secure it from unauthorized entry.

The fence should also be built so that it does not allow easy climbing. Owners must also maintain the fence to ensure it is secure.