It is images like these that convince you of the need to always watch children when they are near water, even if they carry a float.
Kali Dallis, three, and her sister Jayla, ten, bathed in the pool from an apartment complex in Chamblee, Georgia (United States), while they were in the care of their aunt. As it looks in the video recorded by the facilities, Jayla He jumped without thinking about it in the water when he saw his little sister drowning. The little girl had thrown herself with her float and had turned upside down. In his struggle to get his head out of the water, he had lost the float.
Jayla managed to get her out, but she was unconscious. A policeman and the apartment manager practiced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to Kali, until an ambulance took her to the hospital. He has needed two weeks of hospital admission to recover, since he was a few minutes without breathing. But thanks to the cold blood of her older sister, the little girl is already at home.
A miracle and a heroine
The video, broadcast by the Atlanta television network, WSB-TV 2, shows the determined attitude of the older sister and how they performed the cardiopulmonary resuscitation to the little girl.
Jayla explains the fear that happened when she saw her sister in the water and how she took it out: "It weighed a lot, so I had to pull her by the hair, and then I grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up."
It was then, when a witness called 911, while Kali's aunt and the apartment manager took turns performing CPR.
Ed Lyons, police sergeant, explains to the television network that he was in his patrol car checking some reports, when he heard the warning and came to help. He acknowledges that he couldn't stop thinking about his own six-year-old daughter while he came to help Kali. His own camera recorded everything that happened until an ambulance took the girl to the hospital:
"I saw my little girl lying there, the same type of swimsuit she wears, the same hair in a small bun on her head ... You have to forget all that and concentrate on what you are trained to do."
When Daneshia Dallis, her mother, arrived at the hospital, she found her little daughter connected to a respirator. In fact, doctors did not know if he would succeed. Fortunately, two weeks later he is at home and smiles happily, as can be seen in the recording of the American television network.
3-year-old Kali was just released from the hospital! She spent 2 weeks here after almost drowning in her apartment complex's pool. Her sister and a police officer saved her! If you missed @ SeidenWSBTV's report last night after the game, be sure to watch the update today at 4! pic.twitter.com/Uc0WMSS4Dr
- Christian Jennings (@CJenningsWSB) May 31, 2019
His mother says that "this is a miracle" and warns other mothers not to take their eyes off their children:
"Not all floats are safe. Be careful, watch your children."Tips to avoid drowning
It is not the first time that we talk about what precautions we should take with children on the beach and the pool to avoid accidents, but it is always good to make a reminder, especially in early summer, when the baths are more frequent.
And two of those warnings, we have already learned them with today's news:
- Never lose sight of children. In fact, seven out of ten drowning occur due to a momentary dismissal of parents or caregivers and 20 seconds may be enough for a child to drown. Therefore, the best prevention is not to take your eyes off them at any time.
In Babies and more The best security measure in beaches and swimming pools: do not take your eyes off them- Avoid floats and sleeves inflatables, an open debate every summer, because not everyone offers security. These could be punctured or deflated at any time and we should not trust. Although our children use them, they should always be vigilant. It is preferable to choose sleeves and floats of other materials.
In fact, experts advise not to use floats or sleeves either on the beach or in the pool. Because as this video shows, a fun moment can become a tragedy in less than a minute.
But there is some more advice to follow:
- Beware of giant mats. It was one of the topics that gave more talk last summer. In the United Kingdom, they even had to ban unicorn models, because they were a real plague that caused a large number of bailouts.
And it is that the conditions of the tide, the wind and any change in the weather can take the users of the mats beyond the safe bathing areas.
- Do not enter the water at once. According to the National Child Safety Association:
"You have to get into the water little by little, to get used to the skin at the new temperature. You must first wet your feet and then, with your hands, wet your head and neck."
Alert to the rocks. All children have a good time climbing the rocks and so they entertain, but try to always be in your company and with appropriate footwear, because otherwise, it can slip and fall into the water. And if it hits a rock, it can lose consciousness.
Caution if there is a yellow flag. As explained by the Civil Guard in his Twitter account, the yellow flag means "The bathroom is prohibited where the swimmer does not touch the bottom with his head out." And notes that although someone is a good swimmer "The water should not cover above the neck. But who does not perform well in the water should lower that mark to the waist."
So you know, the familiar retaila of "My son swims very well", because the treacherous currents can prevent you from reaching the shore and do not see each other.
