Police say a 4-year-old drowned in a pool at a home in Dallas.
The child, who was found at a residence on Myerwood Lane, was rushed to a hospital but it was too late.
Cook Children's Hospital said doctors have treated 17 drownings since the beginning of the year, three of which were fatal.
“The numbers are a little bit surprising,” said Cory Stuhmer, President of the Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition, which teaches drowning prevention.
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“So many people who suffer drownings within their families, tell us, I just turned my back for two seconds," said Stuhmer. "Any amount of time with a child in or around water is too long to turn your back on them."
According to Cook Children's, many of these drownings reportedly happened during unplanned swim time, when parents didn't expect children to be in or around water.
“The number one thing is supervision," Stuhmer said. "But life jackets, making sure there’s a barrier around home pools, locking doors, things of that nature, to keep the young ones from going out to the pool, are also important."
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Warm weather means more boats and people will be in North Texas lakes.
“More drownings happen in naturally occurring water like lakes, ponds, rivers, the beach, than in backyard pools, so safety gear like life jackets are very important,” said Stuhmer.
He recommends kids first learn self-rescue tips like learning to back float and knowing how to get out of the pool before taking swim lessons.
The Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition offers drowning prevention events every summer.
You can find the link to its swim safe programs here: https://www.fwdpc.org
