Toddler Nearly Drowns in Family Pool

In yet another near-drowning of a child, a 2-year-old girl who fell into her family’s swimming pool while her mother was inside was in serious condition Wednesday night.

Christin Hall was left in the backyard in the care of her 7-year-old brother Wednesday afternoon while their mother was upstairs doing laundry, fire officials said.

Authorities don’t know how the toddler got past the 3-foot fence surrounding the swimming pool and hot tub. Her brother found her unconscious in the pool and pulled her out, Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority said.

Although she was breathing and regaining color by the time she arrived at Children’s Hospital at Mission in Mission Viejo, officials there said she was in “very serious condition.”

Brown stressed the importance of taking extra precautions, such as installing sturdy, 5-foot fences around swimming pools, never leaving a youngster alone near a pool and teaching children to swim at an early age.

So far this year, three children have drowned in swimming pools or hot tubs in Orange County, ranging in age from 11 months to 3 years. Six children have nearly drowned, the oldest being 6.

“This is 100% preventable. That is why it is so tragic,” Brown said. “California still leads the nation in drownings. It happens in a matter of seconds and your child is gone.”