A seven-year-old girl has been hospitalized after what appeared to be a near drowning in Hawaii Kai.
Emergency responders were called to a home on Kamehame Drive at around 4:10 p.m. Officials said she was found unresponsive in a swimming pool.
She was taken to the emergency room in critical condition.
The incident comes just days after the conclusion of National Pool Safety Month.
We spoke with Steven Motz of the Swimming Pool Association of Hawaii to find out what you need to know to keep your kids safe.
He says keeping a disciplined visual eye on children in and around the pool is critical.
“The one thing we need to realize is drownings are not like they are in the movies with splashing and calls for help,” he said. “They are very silent. They lose their footing, they slip underwater and it’s absolutely quiet. So even if you’re standing right next to a pool, if you’re looking at your phone or magazine, you’re not going to realize it.”
Motz also says drownings often happen when there are many other people right there alongside the victim.
“A lot of it happens at pool parties when there are multiple kids in there, or a lot of things unfortunately happen if your child is left unattended around the pool or opens up the door that leads to the pool and you don’t even think your child is around the pool.”
Motz says barriers and perimeter gates are one way to protect children from getting to a swimming pool. He also suggests door alarms to notify you if a door heading out to the pool is opened.
“There are also products out there that have water motion sensors that will go off when there’s a splash in the pool,” he said.
Related Links:
Swimming Pool Association of Hawaii
Pool Safely