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The following is only a sampling of some of this year’s newspaper headlines related to drownings in the Las Vegas valley: “Vegas Boy Dies After Near-Drowning;” “Las Vegas Woman Charged In Daughter’s Drowning;” “Henderson Girl, 2, Drowns In Home Swimming Pool;” “4-Year-Old Boy Drowns In Las Vegas Pool.” In total, there have actually been eight drownings in the Las Vegas valley this year alone. And Drowning continues to be the leading cause of unintentional injury death in Clark County for children four years of age and under.
Aside from the obviously tragic nature of a drowning, what is most devastating is the fact that often, the loss is preventable.
If you were to perform a quick internet search on drowning prevention, the result would be an endless amount of informative websites, most of which contain an exhaustive list of “Do’s and Don’ts.” These websites, such as, www.gethealthyclarkcounty.org/injury_prev/abc_drowning.htm are a great resource and should be referred to often; however, the key to preventing these unnecessary tragedies from occurring in the future can be narrowed down and all stem from these two guiding principles:
• Constant Adult Supervision
• Barriers
While these measures may appear independent of one another, the provision of suitable barriers to restrict access to a swimming pool/spa is no substitute for the adult supervision of children who are playing in or around the area of the allotment containing the swimming pool/spa. Furthermore, a barrier is no substitute for adequate supervision, and supervision means constant visual contact, not just the occasional glance while reading or talking.
If Las Vegas residents could appreciate that all pools/spas need adequate barriers and realize the need for constant adult supervision can never be downplayed or rationalized—those tragic drowning headlines we inevitably read about every summer could actually come to an end.
*Remember, if a property owner allows unsafe and unsupervised conditions to persist near pools or other water sources, they can be liable for any drownings that take place on their property.
