'Where the hell were the lifeguards?'

monkeypants

Questioning her involvement or the involvement of the other adults present doesn't get a compensation payout from the council.

cornbb

Spotting whether someone is drowning is not as easy as you might think:

http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so 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 number two cause of accidental death in children, age 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 ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening

Zzippy

cornbb wrote: »

Spotting whether someone is drowning is not as easy as you might think:

http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Was about to post something almost identical. A lot of harsh comments on here from people who wouldn't be able to spot someone drowning themselves.

Drowning doesn't look like drowning.

http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/drowning/?10981

Pace2008

BLAME BLAME BLAME BLAME NOTHING IS EVER MY FAULT.

****ing bull****.

dan719

Two of my best friends work as Lifeguards during the summer. They are both fantastic swimmers, have swam for Ireland underage, and are obviously fully trained. As an aside they earn around fourteen euros an hour, which considering the responsibility is probably about right. They are both highly vigilant and certainly aren't the type "not to give a ****". I highly doubt any one goes into that job if they don't give a damn. Easier ways to make money imo.

This is a tragic story and my heart goes out to the mother involved. Having worked on fishing boats, I know how quickly and quietly someone can drown. I find it hard to blame the lifeguards involved due to a personal experience...

I went overboard last summer. (I wasn't wearing a lifejacket, I've never taken it off since). Between the shock of hitting the water and the weight of the gear I was wearing I went completely underneath for a few seconds before natural bouyancy righted me. I swallowed a load of seawater. (Not pleasent) and was to be quite frank absolute sh*tting myself. I couldn't keep myself above water for any sustained period of time despite being a strong swimmer. Only for Dad (who is the boss) realised what had happened, I was f*cked. Due to the panic and the cold I coudn't shout or scream. Bearing in mind I'm 6"2 and fifteen odd stone, I should have made a decent sound hitting the water....I didn't. It really is a terrible way to go, and far too easy once you are in the water.

Again my heart goes out to the family and people involved. It can't be easy for the lg either.

kelle

There was a similar tragedy in Co. Meath last year.

http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/navan/articles/2010/08/25/3999525-pool-death-report-remains-unpublished/

Very tragic, and my condolances to the families of these two little boys.

I have always been wary of children in water, and would not have trusted a few lifeguards to be able to watch a huge number of children at once. It's different leaving a child in a play centre, but in water a child can be dead in seconds.

I know from experience that you need to designate one person to watch one child/group of children. If more than one is supervising, one can easily think the other is watching and get carried away doing something else - so in effect nobody is supervising the child!

For example, years ago I took my then 18-month-old son to a hotel to meet up with my mother and 4 aunts. I had to take an important call on my mobile and I asked the 5 of them if they'd watch my son- they said they would. I came back 5 minutes later, they were sitting chatting, no sign of my son. They had forgotten about him because each one thought another was watching him. He had ran out the hotel back door and could have been killed! If I had asked just one person to watch him, that person would have been on full alert and he would not have gone missing.

I'm sure lifeguards have a rule like that when it comes to supervising swimmers. But at the end of the day, a parent or one designated adult is better to be present and watch their own, they're not as likely to take their eyes off the child/group of children.

phill106 wrote: »

3 adults minding the children fail.

Exactly what might have been a factor!

LittleBook

southsiderosie wrote: »

One of the worst incidents I remember from being a lifeguard was when a woman and her boyfriend decided to take a dip and they left her toddler on the beach. Of course, being a two year old (at best), she wanted her mom, so started to go into the water after her. I saw all of this happening, and just as I started to yell at the mom (who was closer to the kid than I was), a wave smacked the baby in the face and knocked her down. Had there been a strong undertow that day, that kid could have drowned, but luckily between my yelling and the baby shrieking, the mom turned around, started screaming hysterically, and plucked her out of the surf.

Now, THAT'S a parenting fail! :mad:

Deleted User wrote: »

We used to goto the pool by ourselves and do loads of stupid stuff when we were young.. If I had died, I wouldn't like to think that someone was held to blame. It's an accident, not neglect or bad parenting.

We used to go every Saturday, sometimes for two sessions and different pools. I couldn't count the number of times a lifeguard saved either myself or one of my mates from our own stupidity ... anything from warning us against running on slippy tiles to actually jumping in after a guy who overestimated is strength to make it to the other side.

But we never told anyone about these incidents, we just went to the shops after for sweets and forgot about it.

I've no doubt that for every one child that's drowned, hundreds are saved.

cozzie55

kelle wrote: »

There was a similar tragedy in Co. Meath last year.

http://www.meathchronicle.ie/news/navan/articles/2010/08/25/3999525-pool-death-report-remains-unpublished/

Very tragic, and my condolances to the families of these two little boys.

I have always been wary of children in water, and would not have trusted a few lifeguards to be able to watch a huge number of children at once. It's different leaving a child in a play centre, but in water a child can be dead in seconds.

I know from experience that you need to designate one person to watch one child/group of children. If more than one is supervising, one can easily think the other is watching and get carried away doing something else - so in effect nobody is supervising the child!

For example, years ago I took my then 18-month-old son to a hotel to meet up with my mother and 4 aunts. I had to take an important call on my mobile and I asked the 5 of them if they'd watch my son- they said they would. I came back 5 minutes later, they were sitting chatting, no sign of my son. They had forgotten about him because each one thought another was watching him. He had ran out the hotel back door and could have been killed! If I had asked just one person to watch him, that person would have been on full alert and he would not have gone missing.

I'm sure lifeguards have a rule like that when it comes to supervising swimmers. But at the end of the day, a parent or one designated adult is better to be present and watch their own, they're not as likely to take their eyes off the child/group of children.

Exactly what might have been a factor!

We (lifeguards) generally divide up the pool. generally one person is watch the learner pool and one the main 25 metre pool and then as more staff are present these sections get subdivided depending on the number of staff.

Its is impossible for parents to expect the lifeguards to mind their children specifically when it is our job to mind everyone.Depending on how many everyone is it gets easier and easier to miss one child in the pool area OR adult i should point out

the_syco

Sykk wrote: »

Maybe it's just me

Christ all f**king mighty. The pool could hold 200 people with ease. The lifeguards cannot look at all the people at the same time. If someone went under water they wouldn't be seen, esp if there was a sun glare on the pool surface. So of course it's just you.

WindSock wrote: »

No, but it's kind of their job to be looking out for the pool users.

To ensure they don't endanger their own lives or the lives of others by their own stuidity.

He was said to have got into difficulty near a waterfall area of the 25-metre fun pool, which also has a flume and fountains.

I wonder if anyone will say what he was doing there. Also, wat age were the adults? Are we talking 18 year olds, or 55?

kelle

cozzie55 wrote: »

Its is impossible for parents to expect the lifeguards to mind their children specifically when it is our job to mind everyone.Depending on how many everyone is it gets easier and easier to miss one child in the pool area OR adult i should point out

That's exactly why I prefer to supervise my own children. Lifeguards do an excellent job, but they're human at the end of the day and their eyes can't be everywhere at once. Once anything happens the child, there's no going back.

Wile E. Coyote

Sykk wrote: »

Parenting fail.

Stupid bitch should never be allowed kids again, tragedy.

Posting fail.

Should never be let near a keyboard again.

Try reading the full story before passing judgement on someone!

Sykk

chatterpillar wrote: »

And ... you somehow know that she didn't speak to the three adults to whom she was entrusting her son?

I don't see that in the article, and it seems kind of unlikely to me ...

If she did then I'm in the wrong... I'm only going by what I can read here. Assumptions.

Unpossible

monkeypants wrote: »

Questioning her involvement or the involvement of the other adults present doesn't get a compensation payout from the council.

Bingo, plus its easier to point the finger at the staff than herself and the other adults.
No matter how crowded though I know I would feel terrible in the lifeguards situation.

Pace2008

kelle wrote: »

T. Once anything happens the child, there's no going back.

Shows what you know

Also, I think the word “accident” should be removed from the English dictionary, as it seems to have no meaning to so many people.

southsiderosie

LittleBook wrote: »

We used to go every Saturday, sometimes for two sessions and different pools. I couldn't count the number of times a lifeguard saved either myself or one of my mates from our own stupidity ... anything from warning us against running on slippy tiles to actually jumping in after a guy who overestimated is strength to make it to the other side.

Which is exactly why adults need to keep an eye on their kids even when there are lifeguards...because when the guards are yelling at one kid to stop running, or to go back to the shallow end, a kid on the different side of the pool could slip underwater...

The other issue is, parents don't discipline their own kids, so it makes the lifeguards harder to do their jobs. I was a guard 12 years ago, and even then sometimes if I told a kid they couldn't go too deep (or reprimanded them in some way), I'd have parents arguing with me. I can't imagine what it is like now. And of course these are the very kinds of people who, if something happens, want to turn around and blame the guards or the council.

Sofiztikated

southsiderosie wrote: »

Which is exactly why adults need to keep an eye on their kids even when there are lifeguards...because when the guards are yelling at one kid to stop running, or to go back to the shallow end, a kid on the different side of the pool could slip underwater...

The other issue is, parents don't discipline their own kids, so it makes the lifeguards harder to do their jobs. I was a guard 12 years ago, and even then sometimes if I told a kid they couldn't go too deep (or reprimanded them in some way), I'd have parents arguing with me. I can't imagine what it is like now. And of course these are the very kinds of people who, if something happens, want to turn around and blame the guards or the council.

This.

We have a pool in the hotel in work, and we keep it strictly over 16s, because

a) it's a hydrotherapy pool, there are (surprisingly) strong jets in it,
b)it's 5 foot deep the whole way along, there's no shallow end,
c)it's an adult facility,
d)we have no lifeguard on duty.

You have no idea how many times we get, "Ah but he's a strong swimmer" or "Ah, but she'll be with me."

No is no.

Erica<3

Like someone else said, lifeguards aren't babysitters, BUT they should be keeping a close eye on the pool at all times.

More than likely it was negligence on behalf of the adults surrounding him, and the lifeguards. He could have been caught by the current of someone else swimming, of someone coming down the slide, a leg cramp, anything.

I have a cousin who's eight, and she thinks she's a fabulous swimmer but she basically just takes really shallow breaths while remaining upright in the pool and head flat back to keep her face dry as she doesn't like water on her face

Frightens the bejesus out of me because i'm afraid that she's going to take a mouthful of water instead of taking a breath or that she will deprive her body of oxygen from not breathing properly and faint in the water or something.

stbrennan

urg great! another Friday the 13th remake....

kylith

WindSock wrote: »

No, but it's kind of their job to be looking out for the pool users.

Yes, but don't forget that the lifeguard may have 60 or 100 more kids to be looking out for too. They do their best, but they only have 2 eyes.

I spent many years on the side of a pool in my youth and the amount of people who use lifeguards as babysitters is unbelievable. We even had one woman who used to take advantage of some of the nicer LGs and would put her child in the pool, tell the lifeguard to put her into her class at whatever time, then shag off to the jacuzzi or to the gym. As soon as supervisors heard this she was told to cop herself on PDQ.