Near-Drowning Victim Remains in Critical Condition

A 13-year-old girl remains in critical condition today after she was found Saturday at the bottom of a relative’s Ladera Ranch pool.

The call to 911 was the 107th drowning call in Orange County this year.

“This is a very sad call,” said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi. “The 13-year-old was visiting from out of the area with her family. She was in the backyard by herself and somehow she fell into the water.”

After she had been missing for 15-20 minutes, the family found her fully-clothed at the bottom of the pool, said Concialdi.

“She wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse,” he said.

Firefighter paramedics began advanced life support measures and were able to get a pulse. The girl’s family and authorities are still trying to piece together what happened.

“This girl was fully clothed. The family does not believe she intended to go in the water because the water was cold, and it was a cool evening,” said Concialdi. “So something happened where she fell into the pool.”

Orange County is one of the leading counties in the nation for drowning calls, said Concialdi. Year-round good weather, nice beaches and the abundance of pools create more opportunities for accidents, he said.

Of the 107 drowning calls so far this year, 38 were fatal.

About 19 of 38 fatalities involved adults all 50 or older, who were alone in or around the pool when they drowned. No one should ever swim alone, warned Concialdi.

About 10 of those fatalities occurred where there was no isolation fence separating the pool from the house, said Concialdi.

“The common thread is isolation fences. We believe they save lives,” he added. “This year we have had a number of small children who have made their way into pool. To them that is playtime - especially small children who are used to mom and dad being with them. They just want to continue playing like they have been doing most of afternoon. They jump into water. They panic. These children drown without a sound. Nobody hears them. They are underwater panicking.”

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