SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Health experts in Santa Barbara are seeing more injuries related to being around water.
For every child who drowns, doctors at Cottage Health say they see eight children who have a non-fatal drowning.
Although adults are present, they believe it is critical that someone be a designated “water watcher.”
This is someone who is constantly watching the pool and the children in it.
People get distracted and think someone else might be watching when they’re not.
As doctors explain, drownings happen quickly.
They are not loud or dramatic.
They are silent and fast.
Tam “Cottage Health” wants to show parents that the best defense against choking is constant supervision.
Small children can drown in an inch of water in kitty pools because they have big, heavy heads and can fall forward.
In open water, they say you always swim in certain areas.
Children who cannot swim must wear a life jacket approved by the Coast Guard
According to Cottage Health, 44 percent of drownings occur during the summer nationwide.