Water dangers involving small children can happen in the blink an eye. Unfortunately for many parents, they find out how quickly tragedy can strike.
This past weekend, a vigil for Messiah White was held here in Colorado Springs. He was a four year old little boy full of life when it all ended in a heartbeat after he slipped below the surface of Lake Minatare in Nebraska the week before. The Colorado Springs family was on a camping trip.
During the boy’s vigil, his parents highlighted the need for kids to wear flotation devices any time they’re near water. Sadly, you don’t have to be at a lake, or near a stream. Sometimes, it happens in a pool in someone’s back yard.
Former Olympic skier Bode Miller and his wife, Morgan Beck Miller, lost their 19-month old daughter in June. Even though family was nearby, the toddler slipped through a back door and was discovered in a neighbor’s pool a short time later. Miller told officials that his daughter had been missing for a very short period of time.
Morgan Beck Miller told "Today" that a child under 30-lbs. can drown in 30-seconds. She said she just keeps counting to 30 and thinking that was all she needed.
She urges parents to be aware of their surroundings and to see if that’s a safe place for your child to be. Both parents are speaking out about swimming and drowning safety.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental deaths in kids under the age of 15. Children can and do drown in as little as an inch or two of water in a kiddie pool, bathtub, or even a cleaning bucket or cooler. But about half of cases involve swimming pools.
