NEW ORLEANS — Last week, two kids in southeast Louisiana lost their lives to drowning accidents.
According to the St. Tammany Coroner, Dr. Charles Preston, a 7-year-old boy drowned and died near Slidell on Saturday.
“The incident appears to have occurred when the child was temporarily left unattended," Preston said.
Kenner Police Lieutenant Mark McCormick said that two days earlier, a one-year-old girl fell into a drained pool and drowned on Davidson Place. The girl was taken to the hospital, where she died, McCormick said.
McCormick said the pool still had nine inches of water, stressing that it doesn't have to be a deep pool for accidents to occur.
“Child drownings under the age of four is the number one cause of unintentional death for children," McCormick said.
Kenner Police are still investigating whether or not the adult who was with the child at the time will face charges, McCormick said.
“If we find through an investigation that there was actually some negligence there in the supervision of that child, then yes absolutely, they can face criminal charges," McCormick said.
McCormick said adults should limit a child's access to water. For example, a fence around a pool. He added that adults should properly supervise children and enroll them in swim lessons.
“It can reduce the fear of that water, but it can also facilitate a healthy respect of that water to prevent that drowning," McCormick said.
Shelby Lopinto, owner of Little Fins Academy, said she's been teaching swim lessons for 16 years.
“10 seconds. That’s the difference between life and death for a kid," Lopinto said.
Lopinto emphasized that being comfortable around water is the key to preventing deaths. She said children will often look to their parents for their reaction to water.
“So that if they fall in, they’re not panicking. That’s the worst thing they can do," Lopinto said.
Lopinto said that when adults praise children for jumping in and swimming safely, their confidence with water grows.
July 25th was designated World Drowning Prevention Day by the World Health Organization in May of 2023.