Tot Critical After Near-Drowning
A 10-month-old girl was in critical condition Saturday after being found face down in a bathtub in a Van Nuys apartment, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said.
Paramedics rushed the child to Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys after she was discovered about 12:15 p.m. in an apartment in the 13700 block of Vanowen Street, spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
“The 19-year-old mother left the child unattended in the bathroom, stepping out to an adjacent room to fold some laundry,” Humphrey said. “She came back to find the child without a pulse and not breathing.”
A neighbor administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation with guidance from a Fire Department dispatcher as paramedics were called to the scene, Humphrey said. Late Saturday, the child still was unconscious and on life support, hospital officials said.
Although authorities did not determine how much water had been in the bathtub, drownings can occur in less than an inch of water, Humphrey said.
“Our advice to parents is constant supervision,” Humphrey said. “If there’s a distraction or need to leave the room, take the child with you.”
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