Garden Grove : Boy, 4, Dies 9 Hours After Pool Accident

A 4-year-old boy who fell into a swimming pool while on a visit to his grandmother’s house died about nine hours later, hospital officials said Friday.

Jake Hancock of Arizona was put to bed for his nap about 2 p.m. Thursday by his grandmother, who went to check on him about 35 minutes later and discovered the boy was gone.

“The grandmother had secured all the doors,” said Mary Marlin, community education program manager at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. “But children learn to open doors and locks, and they don’t tell you that they know.”

When the grandmother looked in the pool, she saw him at the bottom of the deep end and called out to a neighbor for help, police said. The unconscious toddler was transported to Garden Grove Medical Center, and then to CHOC, where he was pronounced dead at about 11:35 p.m.

“I’m worried about this weekend, with the many back-yard barbecues and parties,” Marlin said. “Hosts should have designated water watchers, if there are children around.”

Marlin said close supervision is needed when children are around a pool.

“Parents often do not hear their child fall into the water,” she said.

Hospital officials warned that if parents discover that their child is missing, the first place they should look is the pool, if there is one nearby. And if they find their child submerged, take him or her out of the water and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation for about a minute before calling paramedics.

But the best prevention is to have as many barriers around the pool as possible.