Toddler's death reminder of pool dangers
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A 2-year-old boy has died, less than a day after he fell into a backyard pool during a family gathering.
Abel Galvan was found facedown around 3 p.m. Monday in a pool at a home the 2300 block of Sherwood Avenue. Officers arrived at the home along with personnel from Hall Ambulance and the Bakersfield Fire Department.
The boy was taken to Mercy Southwest, where he was stabilized and then airlifted to Children's Hospital Central California in Madera.
Abel was pronounce dead around 8 a.m. Tuesday in Madera, according to police.
Monday's tragedy illustrates how dangerous swimming pools can potentially be.
"It's devastating. I just, every mom puts their feet in that mother's shoes, and that is just so tragic," said Jennifer Price, also a mom to a 2-year-old.
Price puts her three children in swim lessons at Bakersfield Swimming and said their safety is her No. 1 priority. She said, as a mom to a toddler, she understands why the young children are attracted to pools.
"They just want to jump in. They don't understand the dangers of it, and, so, they don't understand that there's danger involved, and they're just so free, and learning, and they just step right in off the side, without a second thought," she said.
Bakersfield Swimming owner Keith Moore said drowning can be preventable. He teaches a three-prong program to parents and their children, even as young as 6-months-old.
"One, is being water safe, having kids learn how to swim at least being safe in the water and have an exit strategy outside of the pool, and the No. 2 approach is safer response, meaning a responsible adult within the immediate area of the child swimming, and they know CPR," said Moore.
The third step that Moore teaches parents is to put up a safety gate around their pools. In Abel's case, there was no protective fence.
Police are calling this case a tragic accident, and no charges will be filed.
Swimming lessons are offered all around Kern County, both private and public. The city offers free water safety courses for parents of children 0-5 years old. For more information, call the McMurtrey Aquatic Center at 852-7430.
