METAIRIE, La. — The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating after two toddlers drowned in a Metairie apartment complex swimming pool.
JPSO says the children drowned at the apartment complex pool in the 4900 block of Zenith Street in Metairie.
Investigators say the girls were playing with siblings outside their apartment unit when they entered the gated common pool area.
Deputies were called to the scene around 10:00 a.m. Sunday. When they arrived, the toddlers were unresponsive.
“Upon arrival, deputies located two unresponsive toddlers and began CPR. The victims were located outside the pool near the security gate. They were both transported to an area hospital where they were pronounced dead," said JPSO spokesperson Sergeant Brandon Veal.
WWL Louisiana's Lilly Cummings spoke to the YMCA of Greater New Orleans about how to prevent these tragedies.
“We often say that if you think everyone is watching, no one is watching," Taylor Oelking, Executive Director of Community Aquatics, said. "So you know, if you find yourself at a cookout or BBQ and everybody has their kids in the pool and everyone thinks everyone is watching everyone else’s kids, it’s easy to get distracted. So always make sure your children are supervised.”
They also recommend that children wear a life jacket if they cannot swim, wear bright-colored clothing so you can easily spot them, and that you work with your kids on how to float.
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