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Near-drowning reported as families try to beat heat
Atlanta Fire Rescue says in just the last two weeks some close calls involving children. With the sizzling summer temperatures, people are looking for any way to beat the heat. One way folks are doing that is by head to the pool, but that can be dangerous especially for kids.
ATLANTA - A summer swim nearly turned tragic in Atlanta on Friday when a 7-year-old child was pulled from the water not breathing.
"They immediately started trying to revive him," said Ellen Dunham-Jones. "The lifeguard ran over immediately."
Dunham-Jones and her husband were at the Inman Park Pool swimming laps when the child went under. She says the race to save him immediately started.
"It was just all of a sudden everyone was silent and watching and just hoping and waiting," she said.
Atlanta Fire says CPR eventually brought the boy back. Firefighters say the 7-year-old was one of two kids in the last week and a half that nearly drowned in Atlanta.
"Things changed so fast, and I’m extremely grateful that he did survive," Dunham-Jones said.
The other recent incident happened at a community pool near Pryor Road in southwest Atlanta. In that case, a 10-year-old had to be rushed to the hospital.
The CDC says pools can be a dangerous place for kids. The agency says more children aged one to four drown than any other cause of death, and it is the second leading cause of death for children 5 to 14.
For Dunham-Jones, this situation reminds her why water safety is so important.
"It is something of a reminder that in the movies they sort of show people drowning, flailing their arms, help! help!" she said. "No, what drowning looks like is someone getting extremely still and motionless."
Late Wednesday, FOX 5 received a statement from the Inman Park Pool Board which reads:
"The Inman Park Pool is a private pool. The safety of our member base is of the utmost importance as is their privacy and confidentiality. We have no further comment at this time."