Every Sunday, we will share a story of a non-fatal drowning, discuss where things went wrong, and give some pointers on how to prevent it from happening to the people you love. Thankfully, these stories have happy endings for those involved, but sadly, we lose too many people to drowning every year. We hope examining these real-life stories help put the dangers of water into perspective and help you introduce various principles of water safety to your family!
Today’s story features two groups of teenagers- one set looking for a good place to fish, and one set looking for a quick way to cool off. As the first group of teenagers were fishing, a second group of friends parked their car on an overpass and jumped into the lake below, but not everyone resurfaced.
Thanks to Dylan and Cole, this lucky teenager will see another day to enjoy the water more safely. Any time you are swimming in natural bodies of water- like lakes, rivers, and oceans- you should pause before entering and consider the additional dangers versus what we typically see with pool swimming. Water changes quickly in natural bodies of water, so remember that even though an area may have provided nice swimming in the past, it is a different swimming environment today. The area will need to be reviewed for red flags each time you go for a swim.
Also, natural bodies of water tend to be dark or murky, and not easy to see through. This makes finding a loved one even harder when an emergency does occur. There are also deeper depths and currents involved that can make locating someone even harder and will delay recovery. Every moment spent in the water is a higher chance for a fatal drowning or irreversible brain damage. Make sure that you designate a specific area for swimmers to be in natural bodies of water, and that all swimmers have an easy entry/exit access point to the swimming area.
Remember that swimming in a natural body of water presents unique red flags and dangers for swimmers. Have fun, be safe, and find the safest place to swim!
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