Girl Dies After Drowning Incident At Cedar Park Pool

CEDAR PARK, TX — A child died on Wednesday evening after a near-drowning at a local pool the day before, police said.

Cedar Park police responded to the Buttercup Pool at 411 Twin Oak Trail on Tuesday just before 3 p.m. amid reports of a possible drowning involving a child. Upon arrival, city lifeguards were in the midst of administering life-saving measures, according to a city press advisory.

The child was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday evening, officials said. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, city officials added. In the meantime, the pool will remain closed for an undetermined length of time to accommodate the police investigation, officials said.

"On behalf of the City of Cedar Park, we extend our deepest thoughts and prayers to the child’s family and friends," city officials wrote in the press advisory.

Related story: Cedar Park Pool Was Fully Staffed During Drowning Incident

Officials urge anyone with first-hand information about the incident to contact Sgt. Kristy Whitley at (512) 260-4816. "Additionally, we ask that the public please refrain from posting third party information on social media out of respect for the family," officials added.

The age of the child was not provided, but other media reports placed her age at 5. It's unclear if the girl was found submerged or how long she was in distress before being rescued on Tuesday.

KVUE learned from witnesses the young victim was part of a group of children attending the High Hope Summer Camp, a faith-based sports camp in Cedar Park. Ryan Campbell, the president of the camp, said in a statement: "We are extremely focused on reviewing our safety procedures in general and this incident in detail. While this review takes place, we are limiting our activities to our primary campus."

First responders gathered at Deep Eddy Pool in the aftermath of the incident to discuss swimming safety, noting that Travis County emergency personnel so far this year have been dispatched to 15 drowning-related calls — three of which resulted in fatalities — exceeding all such calls from last year. All 15 incidents since Jan. 1 of this year involved children under the age of 15, Austin-Travis County EMS Captain Randy Chhabra said.

"In all of the calendar year of 2018 in Travis County, we only had one fatal drowning of a child," Chhabra said. "That's what brings us here today. Those are unprecedented numbers."

The captain said that of the three fatal drownings this year, one each occurred in a backyard pool, a hotel and in a bathtub. He suggested drowning, particularly among children, is a silent killer. Children in distress will instinctively try to keep their heads above water as they gasp for air while impaired to shout or scream for help.

"They're also not gonna splash around," the captain added. "Typically, the keep their hands below the surface of the water, doing some kind of swim stroke trying to keep their nose and mouth above the surface."

Emergency officials promoted the practice of "The Safer 3 Approach" in preventing drownings:

• Safer water, which entails the installation of protective barriers surrounding pools not unlike isolation fences. Alarms and pool or spa covers also are recommended.
• Safer kids, which involves ensuring children take swimming lessons while acquiring knowledge of water by the age of 4, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Children should wear flotation devices while in the water with the seal of approval of the U.S. Coast Guard
• Safer response, involving a ready plan before heading to the pool with children. Parents and guardians should make sure they know of the safety mechanisms around them, including life rings and flotation devices.

Needless to say, the EMS captain said, children should never be allowed to swim alone in a pool.

Despite the advice of teaching children to swim at an early age, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend trying to teach infants to swim. According to the group's website, there is no evidence infant swim programs for babies under the age of 1 lowers their drowning risk. "Infants this age may show reflex 'swimming' movements but can't yet raise their heads out of the water well enough to breathe," pediatricians wrote. "It's OK to enroll in a parent-child water play class to help your infant get used to being in the pool, though; this can be a fun activity to enjoy together."

For more information on avoiding drowning among children, read "Swim Lessons: When to Start & What Parents Should Know" by clicking on the healthychildren.org website.