Emilio Morales, a 3-year-old boy drowned in a recent swimming pool accident at a southwest Houston apartment complex, according to a news report in The Houston Chronicle.
The Missouri City boy and his family were reported to have been with friends at the apartments in the 2800 block of Rolido Drive, when the accident happened. Morales was wearing a floatation device in the swimming pool, with his family nearby. But he seemed to have slipped out of the device and drowned unnoticed, said the police. Morales was later pronounced dead at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital.
My heart goes out to the Morales family for their tragic loss. Houston is typical of other Sunbelt cities with a plenty of public and residential swimming pools. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has found that about 350 children under the age of 5 drown in swimming pools each year and for the Sunbelt states drowning is the leading cause of death for young children.
The American Red Cross offers these tips for keeping children safe around water –
• Maintain constant supervision of children around any water environment and stay within an arm’s length reach.
• Don’t rely on substitutes such as flotation devices and inflatable toys. Such devices could suddenly shift position, lose air, or slip out from underneath, leaving the child in a dangerous situation.
• Enroll children in a water safety course or Learn-to-Swim classes.
• Parents should take a CPR course. Knowing these skills can be important around the water and you will expand your capabilities in providing care for your child.
It is possible the flotation device was not secured properly in Morales’ drowning accident. The flotation device might have been defective and did not function properly. If the Morales family are interested in finding out what caused the accident and pursuing their rights, they should speak with a swimming pool accident lawyer, one who is truly experienced in defective product cases. The attorney should explain to the family where any liability and compensation exists in this case.
For more information on preventing child drownings please visit the CPSC Web site