PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Phoenix fire officials are urging parents to focus on water safety after two young children were pulled from Phoenix-area pools over the weekend.
Phoenix firefighters said that until this past weekend, the city had zero child drownings or water-related deaths this year. With an excessive heat warning and a holiday weekend coming up, first responders said parents should remember that these incidents can happen to any family.
Two children pulled from pools
On Friday afternoon, a 4-year-old child was pulled from an apartment complex pool in central Phoenix.
A neighbor named Martin said he found the boy in the pool and pulled him out.
“Saw the poor little kid in the pool, you gotta do what you gotta do in that moment,” Martin said.
The boy was under the care of his father, according to Phoenix Police. It is unclear how long he was in the pool before Martin noticed him. The child remains in extremely critical condition.
On Saturday night, a 1-year-old girl was pulled from a pool in Phoenix. She later died at the hospital.
“There were adults, numerous adults home at the time,” Phoenix Fire Capt. Rob McDade said.
Officials urge parents to stay alert
Phoenix fire officials sounded the alarm Tuesday after the back-to-back incidents.
“First of all, our thoughts are with these families; it is unimaginable how they have to go through this,” McDade said.
McDade said there is a common theme after water-related incidents involving children.
“The overriding theme is, ‘we did not think this could happen to us,’ ” he said.
When pool incidents can become criminal cases
As the incidents are reported, some viewers have asked when parents can face criminal charges after a child is pulled from a pool.
Valley attorney Courtney Sullivan, with Boesen & Snow, said there is no simple answer.
“There’s never going to be a bright line when it comes to situations like this,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the standard prosecutors must prove for criminal negligence in accidental drownings is extremely high.
“It’s significant,” Sullivan said. “It is so much more than just not having a pool fence. It’s so much more than turning your back on a child that is known to wander.”
She said factors such as the child’s age, how long the child was left unattended and whether a parent was on drugs or alcohol could all be considered.
Sullivan said jurors may also consider the loss the family is already facing.
“Jurors look at a parent who already lost a child and what more are they supposed to do to them, right?” Sullivan said. “They’ve already gotten the worst sentence they could get.”
Water safety resources
Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s “Playing it Safe” program offers water safety workshops for caregivers, free CPR classes, life jackets and door alarms.
SRP sponsors swim lessons across the Valley at multiple locations. They also partner with Child Crisis Arizona for a free pool fence program for income-qualified families
Swim lessons are available at City of Phoenix pools during the summer for all ages and skill levels.
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