Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Latest Breaking News
In reply to the discussion: Florida boy, 6, drowns in Carnival cruise ship pool [View all]markpkessinger
(8,392 posts)34. Read, mark and inwardly digest this article . . .
It's hard to tell from the article whether the DJ actually saw "struggling," or simply noticed a boy in the water. "Struggling" may well have been a bit of editorial license on the writer's part. But do read the following article in any case:
[font size=4]Drowning Doesnt Look Like Drowning[/font]
[font size=3]In many child drownings, adults are nearby but have no idea the victim is dying. Heres what to look for.[/font]
[font color="gray"]By Mario Vittone[/font]
The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. I think he thinks youre drowning, the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. Were fine; what is he doing? she asked, a little annoyed. Were fine! the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. Move! he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their 9-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, Daddy!
How did this captain knowfrom 50 feet awaywhat the father couldnt recognize from just 10? Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hint: thats all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew know what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, Daddy, she hadnt made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasnt surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for is rarely seen in real life.
The Instinctive Drowning Responseso named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the No. 2 cause of accidental death in children, ages 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents)of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In some of those drownings, the adult will actually watch the child do it, having no idea it is happening.* . . . .
< . . . . >
Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they dont look like theyre drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, Are you all right? If they can answer at allthey probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parentschildren playing in the water make noise. . . .
< . . . . >
[font size=3]In many child drownings, adults are nearby but have no idea the victim is dying. Heres what to look for.[/font]
[font color="gray"]By Mario Vittone[/font]
The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. I think he thinks youre drowning, the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. Were fine; what is he doing? she asked, a little annoyed. Were fine! the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. Move! he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not 10 feet away, their 9-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, Daddy!
How did this captain knowfrom 50 feet awaywhat the father couldnt recognize from just 10? Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hint: thats all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew know what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, Daddy, she hadnt made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasnt surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for is rarely seen in real life.
The Instinctive Drowning Responseso named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the No. 2 cause of accidental death in children, ages 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents)of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In some of those drownings, the adult will actually watch the child do it, having no idea it is happening.* . . . .
< . . . . >
Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they dont look like theyre drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, Are you all right? If they can answer at allthey probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parentschildren playing in the water make noise. . . .
< . . . . >
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
92 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Kids can drown in an instant. In fact, if a parent isn't aware of what drowning looks like, a
msanthrope
Oct 2013
#5
True. It almost happened to my son while his father and I were sitting on the edge of the pool,
merrily
Oct 2013
#57
Consider where they were! on a cruise ship, with free alcohol, and no work to get up for in the morn
darkangel218
Oct 2013
#27
Alcohol is not free on a cruise ship, except for a reception, where wine and
No Vested Interest
Oct 2013
#49
Free alcohol? Tell me which cruise line so I can book a cruise with them!
Violet_Crumble
Oct 2013
#59
People need to stop blaming Carnival Cruise Lines and the parents and take some self responsibility
Snake Plissken
Oct 2013
#10
Even with lifeguards, leaving a 10-year-old to supervise a 6 year old at a pool is STUPID.
moriah
Oct 2013
#24
That's tragic.Can't believe they couldn't revive him because he was spotted while 'struggling'
Sunlei
Oct 2013
#30
Cruises are disgusting. They pollute the ocean. You catch strange diseases on them. And now this.
zonkers
Oct 2013
#55
I travel a lot but the only cruise I would consider would be a small ship on a river in Western
CTyankee
Oct 2013
#72
Hubby and I have been looking at a Vantage cruise. He has mobility issues and hasn't been
CTyankee
Oct 2013
#81
About the bus part of your trip on the ship, was it handicap accessible? that looks like it could be
CTyankee
Oct 2013
#89
The buses were not handicap accessible in the US sense of definition, but
No Vested Interest
Oct 2013
#90
I don't understand how a parent could leave a 6 year old unattended in a pool!
CoffeeCat
Oct 2013
#56