Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

Spike in Children's Near-Drownings

We have heard a lot of news of children nearly drowning in swimming pools or at the beach in Massachusetts this summer, especially in the last few weeks. The Boston Channel recently reported that local emergency room doctors have been busy this summer treating children after close calls with death - the weekend of June 27-28th being particularly eventful: four children were rushed to Children's Hospital in Boston after their near drowning incidents.

 

Children who suffer from near drowning are not just struggling for survival in the minutes after their ordeal, but also bear the risk of developing lung problems associated with the accumulated water in their lungs from breathing under water. "Even if they're perfectly fine by the time they arrive here, they are at risk of developing lung problems within the first 12 to 24 hours," Dr. Mark Waltzman, a doctor in Children's Hospital emergency room says.

 

So far this summer a 2-year-old Stoneham boy almost drowned in his home swimming pool on June 21. It is not only children who suffer near drowning experiences. A 22-year-old woman from Lynn, Mass died from drowning after she was swept out to sea by a strong current near Plum Island. She had just graduated from college and was sunbathing with her friends at the beach. They managed to get out of the water, but the young woman drowned in the current. Her body was found after an extensive search by rescue teams a few days later.

 

Parents and children need to be aware of the dangers that open water can pose. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children. Young children especially have the highest risk of drowning, since they are curious, and too young to control their head and limbs.

 

Toddlers should always be under their parents' and caregivers' supervision, since they can wander off and accidently fall into a pool and drown. Their heads are supported by weak neck muscles so they can't really control them, and it's hard for them to keep their heads above water.

According to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 10 lives are lost to accidental drowning every day. The CDC website shows that more than 3,400 people the U.S. died by unintentional drowning in 2007 - one of out every 5 deaths from drowning is a child 14 years or younger.