Boy, 4, Sinks to Bottom of Hotel Pool as Sister, 6, Struggles to Pull Him Up

A four-year-old boy is expected to survive after nearly drowning in the pool at Dana Point’s Laguna Cliff Marriott Friday as his six-year-old sister tried repeatedly to pull him to safety.

The near-tragedy serves as a stark reminder of why the Orange County Fire Authority does not recommend that parents use water wings to protect their children from drowning, said Capt. Steve Concialdi.

“In this case the mom was just distracted. She turned away for just a bit. The water wings slipped off the 4-year-old, and he just sank to the bottom,” said Concialdi.

His 6-year-old sister, who was in the pool with him, tried three times to bring him up for air, but she was struggling to stay afloat with him. A bystander witnessed the struggle, and jumped in to pull the boy out.

“I think he's going to be ok, he had swallowed a lot of water, vomited and was lethargic,” said Concialdi.

Paramedics rushed the boy to CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital.

“These water wings, when you have smaller children, you have to stay within arm's length,” said Concialdi. “You can not rely on water wings. The Orange County Fire Authority does not recommend them.”

Last year there were 117 drowning or near-drowning incidents in Orange County, and, of those, 49 people died. Most incidents involved children and pools.

Orange County Fire Authority officials hope to prevent so many tragedies this year by encouraging people to use Coast Guard approved flotation vests for children and installing isolation fences to separate backyard pools from homes.

Finally, parents have to be vigilant at all times around pools.

“Within seconds they can go in the water and they drown without a sound,” said Concialdi. “Nobody hears them, and they try to scream under water, and their panicking under the waterline.”