Drowning

What makes Daniel's drowning different to other accidental swimming pool drownings?

#1

Other parents will explain with regret, how a small distraction caused them to lose focus of their toddler and the water for a few minutes only for their attention to return to their child floating in the swimming pool; 80% of home drowning victims had been missing for 5 minutes or less before they were found in the water and 70% were not expected to be in or near the pool area at the time.

No one was looking after Daniel when he drowned. While both his dad and his step mother were fully aware that the children had free access to the open unfenced swimming pool, his dad left the house to go somewhere while his stepmother continued working on her PC in a home office situated at the opposite end of the premises to where the swimming pool is. Before his stepmother eventually found Daniel in the pool he had last been seen in the TV room where his 7 and 8 year old half siblings were playing TV games. It was one of the children who noticed that Daniel wasn't with them anymore and when they couldn't find him they went to tell their mother. They first searched inside the house before they went outside where his half sister later spotted Daniel's body.

#2

Without any delay other parents immediately called emergency services

Although their house is only minutes away from 2 major hospitals, equipped world-class 911 emergency response services, Daniel's stepmother only called her husband to alert him that Daniel had drowned. As their car was in for a service on that day, his father had left the house earlier driving his small scooter and from he received the phone call, it took him all the time to get home on his scooter and stopping on the way to borrow someone's car so that they could take Daniel to hospital. Around the time that Daniel's dad finally arrived at the house someone managed to call 911 but it was too late.

This extract is from the internet report that was published about 911 call-outs on the day of Daniel's death:

Netcare 911 Statement: On Tuesday 06 January 2009, Netcare 911 paramedics responded to 2 drowning incidents in Sandton just hours apart.
11h19 Wendywood. Paramedics responded from the nearby Netcare Sunninghill hospital and arrived on the scene within minutes of receiving the call for help. They were told that the victim had been transported by a private car to a nearby hospital. A follow up revealed that the victim was a young boy who was approximately 3 and a half years old. Tragically, the victim died in hospital.

In the event of an emergency, especially a drowning when time is crucial, the public are advised not to try and rush the victim to hospital in a car as no treatment is undertaken during the trip and this time is then lost. It is preferential to call the emergency services who will assist you with step by step CPR over the telephone until the paramedics arrive and take over from you. This way the victim will receive treatment as soon as they are found and this should drastically improve their chances of recovery.

#3
Other parents cannot hide their heartfelt remorse. I look into their broken hearts and I see sorrow and also a deep regret. I see in them the agony associated with drowning. I admire how they bravely share their stories with the hope to prevent another tragedy. They start foundations to create drowning awareness in memory of their children ( Hannah, Joshua, Colin ). My heart goes out to all these parents because they feel, like I do, the grief of all parents who have lost a beloved child.

Daniel's father and stepmother closed off the "Daniel chapter" in their lives on the day of his drowning. If they do remember Daniel they make sure that no one can see it - because they behave as if this sweet child of mine, never existed.