Near-Tragedy in a Back Yard Pool

I pulled my 18-month-old son’s lifeless body out of our back yard swimming pool a few days ago. I can’t tell you what a horrifying experience that was. Thank you God for bringing me back in time to find him, and for putting all the people in the right place to help save him, especially Officer Bill Graham of the Newport Beach Police Department. Officer Graham’s quick response and actions made the difference here. I called 911 immediately, and though I managed to expel most of the water out of my son’s body, I wasn’t able to get him to breathe, because in my hysteria, I failed to clear his air passage. Officer Graham took charge and was successful in bringing my son, Jeffery, back to life. Jeffery was rushed to Hoag Hospital where the doctors and nurses brought him back to full health.

I thank all the people who prayed for us; I am convinced that it made a difference.

So what lessons did I learn? I learned that we were not prepared for this. We recently built a fence between our house and our pool, but it was not enough. One needs a fence around the entire pool to be effective, and a high one at that, so the children cannot climb over the top.

I learned that a pool cover is very important, in addition to the fence. Unfortunately, gates get left open.

I learned I was not up to date with my CPR training. Looking back today, I cannot believe I was so naive to all these dangers.

I am now concerned about all the other parents out there who, like me, think it can’t happen to them. Believe me, it can. And it doesn’t have to. I am committed in 1990 to work closely with the National Drowning Prevention Network and I hope to meet soon with state legislators, asking them to support legislation to set some minimum safety standards for pool safety.

I know now because of my own experience that we cannot rely on the homeowner to take the necessary safety measures to prevent these accidents. I wish someone had forced me to be more safety conscious.

JIM LANDIS

Newport Beach