WESLACO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — As kids spend more time in the water during the summer months, it’s important they know about water safety.
Drowning is the number one cause of accidental death in children ages four and under and second in children ages five to fourteen.
According to the CDC, there are about 4,000 drownings in the U.S. annually, which averages to about 11 a day. Other contributing factors include location, lack of supervision, and fencing.
“We start as early as six months old and they’re able to go into the water and if they go face in they roll back to a backflow and they’re able to maintain afloat until somebody is able to find them or grab them,” said ISR instructor Wendy Wells.
Drownings don’t just happen in pools or large bodies of water. The CDC reports two-thirds of drownings among infants under the age of one to happen in the bathtub. If your child doesn’t know how to swim and they plan on getting in the pool, a lake, or the beach, they should always wear a life jacket.
Even if a child survives a near-drowning they may have long-term disabilities.
