Teen Saved from Drowning at Edgewood Pool: Officials

EDGEWOOD, MD — Officials say a 16-year-old stopped breathing in the Edgewood Middle School pool recently and was saved by a series of individuals who came to her rescue.

The 911 call center received word that a swimmer had stopped breathing at 6:11 p.m. on Friday during a swimathon at the school on Willoughby Beach Road, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, which was dispatched to the scene.

In the pool a fellow swimmer helped the girl to the surface; a parent lifted her from the water; and a CPR-certified swim coach performed the lifesaving technique along with the parent, officials said.

Within five minutes of the 911 call, first responders arrived to find the swimmer out of the water and talking. As is standard procedure, the fire company took the girl to the hospital to be evaluated.

"It is believed that the swimmer suffered a shallow water blackout, which is a form of near-drowning," the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company said in a statement.

Shallow water blackouts can be deadly, causing a swimmer to faint because of rising and falling carbon dioxide and oxygen levels while trying to hold the breath underwater. Called the "silent killer," shallow water blackouts have claimed the lives of accomplished swimmers, including one at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club in 2011, according to Swimming World Magazine.

Authorities say it is possible to survive a shallow water blackout if resuscitation is immediately provided.

Such was the case with the swimmer at Edgewood Middle School, who was released from the hospital on Saturday, the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company reported.

"While everyone hopes that they never need to either receive or administer CPR, it was only because there were people trained in what to do and how to do it that we have our daughter at home with us today," the family members of the teen said in a statement. "Had they not had that training, instead of fixing our daughter breakfast the next morning, we may have been meeting with a funeral director. In addition, the paramedics who responded were professional and kind to both our daughter and our family during one of the most stressful incidents of our life."

Harford County is offering a four-week emergency preparedness course starting March 15. It includes CPR certification. Get more information.

File photo.

Family statement following the near drowning on Feb. 10, 2017:

We are incredibly grateful to the coaches, parents, swimmers and paramedics who all assisted our daughter. While everyone hopes that they never need to either receive or administer CPR, it was only because there were people trained in what to do and how to do it, that we have our daughter at home with us today. There are procedures and policies in place to deal with a life-threatening incident at any school event. Everyone hopes that they never need to be used. In this instance, the training, policy and procedures worked exactly as they were supposed to and saved the life of our daughter. Furthermore, if our daughter who is an accomplished swimmer, had a near drowning accident, we can only imagine how much more at risk of drowning the children of Edgewood and Joppa would be if the pools were to be closed and they lost their access to swim lessons. We would not wish the fear we felt with that phone call on any parent. Again, we are extremely grateful to the coaches and parents who retrieved her from the water and performed CPR on her when she was non-responsive. Had they not had that training instead of fixing our daughter breakfast the next morning, we may have been meeting with a funeral director. In addition, the paramedics who responded were professional and kind to both our daughter and our family during one of the most stressful incidents of our life.