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Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning

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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
I post this link, because two weeks ago I saved a little girl from this exact description. I was swimming at the local public lake with my two children. There are lifeguards, as well as numerous parents. While playing around, we saw our little friend Nicholas. Excited to see him, I swam up slowly and tapped his shoulder, and smiled when he turned around. I said, "Where's your sister?" and we both began to look around. 10 feet away, I saw her bulging eyes glassed over, and her mouth covered in water. She had either been pushed, or walked just a bit too far, to water that was too deep for her to handle. Her eyes were locked on her dad, who was on shore, and she was wiggling to try and get to shallower water. Without another breath all I could do was shout "SARAH!" and I darted towards her. 10 feet seemed like forever, and I have experienced being scared for a child, but nothing like this. I ripped her from the water and she clenched to my body. And she just cried. It really broke my heart. After gaining my composure, I realize that standing no more than 2 feet from her were FOUR parents. None of them knew what was happening until it happened. Had I not seen her, I'm not sure what would have happened. I blamed them at first, but then I realized that her situation was completely silent.

I want everyone to be aware, that struggling to stay above water is an almost motionless & silent situation. It's not the thrashing and screaming for help that you see on TV. So I ask that you please read this article through, and understand the dangers that a body of water can bring. Even the strongest swimmers can fall victim.

******** http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/ ********
Jul 16 2010 1:59PM
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.frenchy
Posts: 18221 - Karma: 12,319
wow, such a great thing you did. Definetly good karma for you!
Jul 16 2010 2:02PM
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Bar_Down
Posts: 5896 - Karma: 395
shit eh, good thing you were there to help her.
there have been an unreal amount of drownings in the area lately, its sad
Jul 16 2010 2:02PM
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hurrisun
Posts: 6284 - Karma: 49
i saved a baby from drowing once she was in one of those tubes with little shorts connected or whatever and she was upsidedown and nobody noticed i was like 9 and i just walked over and flipped her back and then an adult saw me flipping her and was like ohh +k for you and i was like jea

true story
Jul 16 2010 2:06PM
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jeremy.g
Posts: 4931 - Karma: 459
wow. i had no idea drowning was like that. thanks for the intel
Jul 16 2010 2:13PM
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~~~~~~~~
Posts: 2345 - Karma: 2,104
I am a lifeguard and i would say drownings tends to look like drownings, that sounds like a really weird situation.
Jul 16 2010 2:20PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
How many people have you saved?
Jul 16 2010 2:21PM
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pmw
Posts: 5760 - Karma: 831
you should not get karma (yes i know we aren't talking NS karma) for saving a life. i think of karma as a slight reward for going out of your way to help someone, but not like this. if you do nothing to save a life (especially a helpless child) well... you deserve a little more then bad karma.

i'm sure after getting over that initial shock of what just happened the feeling was rewarding, more so then words could describe. I'm sure the parents were mortified as well.

this may sound like a silly question, but did you experience that "superhuman" adrenaline rush? how deep was the water, how old the child, etc.?
did her father know what was happening before you intervened?
Jul 16 2010 2:23PM
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1337
Posts: 31053 - Karma: 29,231
I'm sure what you went through at the lake is extremely upsetting, especially being a parent with two kids of your own. The article is a must read, and definitely something that everyone REALLY needs to learn about. What should be stressed the most, and its probably the easiest sign to spot,if they stop responding to you, you need to make it over to them and find out why. It's happened with me and my siblings all the time, and even if they are horsing around, its better to be safe than sorry. Drowning is an awful way to die, don't let it happen to anyone if you can help it.



Jul 16 2010 2:23PM
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CluckaChuck
Posts: 1541 - Karma: 734
wow scary stuff especially if you have kids to

Jul 16 2010 2:24PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
"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 (source: CDC)"


Also

"This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble – they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long – but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc."
Jul 16 2010 2:26PM
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~~~~~~~~
Posts: 2345 - Karma: 2,104
This season after 2 weeks I've had 3, But spending my entire summers at the local parks I have seen many, many, more. Most people will do anything in their power to keep their heads above water, Its natural instinct. That is unless they go unconscious like happened 3 days ago, now that was scary.

Although you can never be too sure with children, thats why all under 10 are STRONGLY advised to be within arms reach of a parent.
Jul 16 2010 2:27PM
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pmw
Posts: 5760 - Karma: 831
that is very, very scary.
Jul 16 2010 2:28PM
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no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,272
i saved a kid like this once, she was wearing a life jacket also but had slipped down into it and was just completely motionless. i was more curious as to why she wasn't moving so i went over and pulled her out of the water and she started crying. i've seen a few people get saved while drowning and none of them were flailing around and screaming...it's creepy
Jul 16 2010 2:30PM
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~~~~~~~~
Posts: 2345 - Karma: 2,104
AND now that i think a little more and read more responses.

What i was describing is a distressed swimmer. The act of drowning once it gets to that point has no signs, Its a shame she wasn't spotted sooner by the inattentive guards.
Jul 16 2010 2:31PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
I like your silly question because yes, I definitely had a moment of being able to actually run through water (we all know it's impossible haha). The water was probably 3/3.5 feet. And this little girl is 3 years old, and plays in this lake 2/3/4 days a week.

I however, don't like the father question because it really upsets me. He's a good friend of mine, and a great dad, but in this moment he was lacking. They had just arrived and his kids darted to the water in joy, while he stayed on shore to situate bags, towels etc. He had no idea what was going on until I was literally standing in front of him, and when he looked at me all I could say was, "she was loosing it...no one saw" and the look in his eye was awful. He felt so bad. It sucks that this situation put him in place, but at least it did. I have a strict rule with my children that they are not allowed near any body of water unless an adult is with them, close enough to grab them if something happened. It really is my biggest fear when it comes to them. Because water is so damn fun.
Jul 16 2010 2:41PM
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illadelphlife
Posts: 1386 - Karma: 27
vibes
Jul 16 2010 2:44PM
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pmw
Posts: 5760 - Karma: 831
i didn't mean for it to be offensive, obviously i can't comprehend just how emotional this may be for you, and I'm sorry you perceived it that way/it sounded that way. i meant it as in did he fall victim to what you were warning us all of, that being the non-so tell tale signs of drowning?
Jul 16 2010 2:44PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
I didn't take offense, it just bothers me cause he's a good dad, and to see that even good parents can have these faults is upsetting. I think he fell victim to being too lenient about his kids and being in the water. We are all just very comfortable with this lake, the shallow water playing area is so large, and the kids really get to mess around, that sometimes your worries might escape you.
Jul 16 2010 2:47PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,529
Man, that is so creepy. I'm always on alert whenever we go to the lake or river.
Jul 16 2010 3:26PM
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no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,272
i've experienced this before. i went into shock after seeing bone and muscle sticking out of my leg and i ran at full speed up a super steep hill to go get help from people behind me. it was the kind of injury where i wasn't able to walk for a month and a half yet right at the scene i was running up a hill
Jul 16 2010 4:10PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,507
i jump in to save some one at work today CLAIM
Jul 16 2010 4:12PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,507
sorry also for got to say that would be an active drowning victim, and the dad should be at fault here it sounds like this girl is really little and you should always watch your kids in the water the life guard cant see everything at once.
Jul 16 2010 4:14PM
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asapCferg
Posts: 3057 - Karma: 358
k+ for you, saving a life is huge, especially a young girl who has her whole life a head of her
Jul 16 2010 5:03PM
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Cthulhu
Posts: 528 - Karma: 21
wow thats actualy a realy scary thing to have happen and i would assume as a parent you took it even harder
Jul 16 2010 5:06PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51587 - Karma: 161,715
I had some mean doggie paddle and water treading skills from an early age.



sometimes people will thrash and scream for help, but I can easily see especially a small child stugling and then disappearing. It's good you kept a watch out. More people need to pay attention, not just in regards to swimming
Jul 16 2010 5:10PM
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Jamestown
Posts: 4002 - Karma: 51
Ok, I mean this in the most serious way possible. I've been swimming competitively my entire life, and I'm certified lifeguard/first-aid, but I NEVER understood how anything past what you're able to stand in could be too deep for you to handle. Say you're 5 feet tall, and you're in 10 feet of water, that means you have to be treading water or swimming. If you're in 25 feet of water, you would never know the difference. Someone please explain coming from an experience?
Jul 16 2010 5:13PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51587 - Karma: 161,715
Are you retarded? Lets see, a real real little kid. Anything that they can't touch the bottom there is a risk for drowning. They could get tired swimming or not be able to swim that well.


I've been swimming in the olympics since before I was born, I don't understand how people have drown before.
Jul 16 2010 5:19PM
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Jamestown
Posts: 4002 - Karma: 51
A 5 foot tall person would not qualify as a "real, real little kid".
Jul 16 2010 5:56PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51587 - Karma: 161,715
where does it say anything about being 5 feet tall?
Jul 16 2010 5:58PM
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Jamestown
Posts: 4002 - Karma: 51
Did you even read my post?
Jul 16 2010 5:59PM
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TOK
Posts: 2928 - Karma: 2,540
Scary stuff, I guess I just always believed that drowning is the way you see in all the movies. Drowning has always probably been my biggest fear, a phobia almost.
Jul 16 2010 6:03PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
Why would you let your kid play in any body of water (deep enough where they can't touch) without flotation....especially if your kid can't really swim? (I'm referring more to oceans, rivers, and lakes as more so than I am pools.) Even if your kid is the next michael phelps, they don't have the mental capacity, nor the strength to be able to save themselves if things get hairy. They panic & then they go under.

Nice work, ashley. I've saved 5 people (swimming, diving accidents, w-skiing accidents, etc) in my lifetime & it is one hell of a mind fuck. I congratulate you on having a head while everyone else was blind to the situation.


Jul 16 2010 8:23PM
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.Asain-Skiier
Posts: 3708 - Karma: 977
man, that is rough. I was raised in the water. I recall my parents dipping me in water at a pool and I loved it. at age 3 I would love water. Then as a kid there was swimming lessons and there were 7 levels, I finished before most kids my age were on 5. Anyways, I that is a really scary story. And I live by water and if I see anyone like that I will know because of you.
Jul 16 2010 8:31PM
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TheDude
Posts: 2058 - Karma: 117
wow eye openner. ive always though of drownings as the thrashing and what not of TV. Thanks you for educating me, and congrats on saving a life.
Jul 16 2010 8:34PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51587 - Karma: 161,715
Um yes. This thread is about little kids drowning. Not about a 6 foot tall swimmer in 12 foot water drowning because he can't touch the bottom
Jul 16 2010 8:53PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
Not everyone is an amazing swimmer. Some are average at most (meaning the can get from here to there, jump off docks and make it back, float on their backs). Anything can happen while you're treading water. Say you get a cramp, you start to struggle to stay above water. I don't think it matters whether or not you know the difference between if you are in 10ft or 25ft of water - it's still above your head. Maybe you don't understand because you're a strong swimmer. The bottom line is, anything could happen.
Jul 16 2010 11:34PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
And I'm glad I've made some of you more aware. =)
Jul 16 2010 11:34PM
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Mavrck
Posts: 2765 - Karma: 27
we used to vacation to my grandmas lake cabin in the summer. All our cousins were up there and I'm in the middle of the pack out of the 7 or 8 of them agewise. We always jumped off the dock and swam around great lake for it. One day all my older cousins were jumping in and I guess I decided I was gonna ball outrageous no floatys at all so i just jumped in like a boss and proceeded to not be able to swim. (I don't remember this I was too young) Luckily my mom saw me jump in and came in after me. lessen learned always keep an eye on the chillren when water is involved
Jul 16 2010 11:40PM
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MadSteezin
Posts: 4572 - Karma: 936
+ vibes to you for saving a life. But at the same time we can't forget about natural selection. At the rate people all around the world are being born, natural selection still needs to exist to weed out the weak ones...
Jul 17 2010 1:19AM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
Really weird, my mom was just talking about this a couple days ago in some magazine or something. what a coincedence.
Jul 17 2010 1:43AM
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Imagination
Posts: 2501 - Karma: 73
+ Vibes and +K for both saving the little girl and educating ns about it
Jul 17 2010 1:46AM
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mark.p
Posts: 1422 - Karma: 10
In my two summers as a lifeguard at a popular theme park in the midwest I saved 3 kids under the age of 10's life. /claim

But seriously, it feels good to do something like that... it's the only reason why I ever came back the second season.
Jul 17 2010 2:01AM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
and this is the scary part. the water is extremely powerful and needs to be respected as much as the mountains do. people don't realize that it can take your life in a second. it'll chew you up, spit you out, and not look back. i can't even fathom getting in to the water without being an amazingly strong swimmer.

but I guess ignorance is bliss.
Jul 17 2010 3:07AM
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yojimbo
Posts: 3631 - Karma: 27
I saved myself from drowning in buzzards bay once. It was blowing 25-30 knots with probably 5-6 foot seas, fleet racing 420's couple boats lost their whole damn masts, we pitch-poled cuz i thought we could handle the chute, out on the trap got tangled under water and couldnt get to the surface while my skipper struggled to figure out where the fuck I was. damn good thing to carry a knife when working around lines and water I'll tell you that.
Jul 17 2010 3:22AM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
Everyone has to start somewhere. You were in the water at some point in your life where you couldn't swim. And as you spent more time in the water, you gained the strength to respect and enjoy it. Anywhere in the time of when you weren't so great, something could have happened.
Jul 17 2010 10:21AM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
I don't think there's ever been a time where I've been in the water and not enjoyed it. :)

The only time I was in the water without the ability to swim was right about the age where I was learning to walk. I was in my mother's arms & then she kept me in swim classes until I was probably 8 or 9 years old (?). Even after becoming a strong swimmer, I was forced to wear flotation in the river (where I spent/spend every day of my spring-fall). It used to piss me off and I didn't understand it, but she did and she was right. Anything can happen and at that age I didn't have mental capacity to save myself if shit went wrong. (By mental capacity I mean the understanding of how currents work, how to make your body buoyant in the event of an injury/cramp/rest, etc. so as to prevent drowning, and how to maintain a cool head and not panic if shit does start to go wrong.)

This entire thing could have been avoided if the kid had a life jacket on and the parent's are ignorant for putting their child in that situation to begin with. I'm not trying to be dickish about it, but that's the ultimate reality of the situation. Thank fucking god you were there. So again, I tip my hat to you.


Jul 17 2010 11:33AM
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Microcosm
Posts: 4765 - Karma: 153
So true, if you're actually drowning you're not really capable of doing the whole yelling and waving arms thing, there's a lot of instinctual actions at play instead. Scary stuff though, +k for saving her.
Jul 17 2010 12:12PM
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Microcosm
Posts: 4765 - Karma: 153
oh and.. when I was little I hopped in a pool and didn't know how to swim so I just sunk. my grandpa jumped in fully clothed and pulled me out. that's my drowning story, and we went skiing the next day.
Jul 17 2010 12:16PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,805
Never said anything about you not enjoying it. It's hard to find a kid who doesn't love being in the water. =)

Also, most public lakes/swim areas run by their state, or whatever organization, do not allow flotation devices in the water, due to stories like the ones posted above. Just because it keeps you afloat, doesn't mean it keeps you safe. They still require monitoring. In the lake I use, the only life vests allowed are the ones approved by the US Coast guard. And those are $$. But again, like you said, it comes down to responsibility and awareness.
Jul 17 2010 12:28PM
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