A 3-year-old child is alive today because of quick thinking adults who discovered him unconscious at the bottom of a swimming pool.
At 1:12 p.m. on Sunday, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 4800 block of Pear Tree in Godfrey for a report of a possible drowning.
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Emergency medical services and deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office responded to this location after a 911 call was made reporting a 3-year-old child had fallen into a swimming pool. Deputies arrived and determined the child had fallen into an in ground swimming pool and was found by adults and was unconscious near the bottom of the pool.
Sheriff’s deputies determined the child was removed from the pool and C.P.R. was performed on the child. The child began breathing on its own prior to the arrival of deputies and emergency medical services. The child was transported to a local hospital after the work by the adults, deputies and medical emergency services personnel.
Madison County’s Sheriff’s Department Captain Will Dimitroff, Patrol Division Commander, said this is another situation that shows the importance of adults knowing C.P.R.
“An adult began the process before deputies arrived,” Dimitroff said. “In-ground pools are dangerous situations. The child was transported to a local E.R. where they were playful, indicating they will make a full recovery.”
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office found no evidence of neglect related to this incident.
Dimitroff stressed this situation shows that mere minutes and seconds can save the life of someone in distress.
“Minutes and seconds count in these types of situations,” he said. “Adults should take advantage of any kind of classes offered for C.P.R. Emergency personnel and 9-1-1 officials are all trained and it makes a big difference knowing C.P.R. It certainly can make the difference in a scenario like this one when people know what to do.”