A CCTV video footage showing an eagle-eyed lifeguard spotting a drowning boy in the middle of a packed pool full of swimmers is going viral. As of this writing, the video had been watched 914, 640 times.
The lifeguard's quick response is drawing praises from people who had seen the video and credited her for saving the life of the boy.
One YouTube user who saw the video commented, "Awesome response time guys!"
In the video, a boy was seen having trouble in the middle of the pool full of swimmers, with some using rubber rings as the wave machine was tuned on. Over 10 seconds of the clip, it shows that the child's rubber ring was tipped off by the strong artificial current, with the boy quickly panicking.
Lifeguard rescues drowning boy in this video.
Luckily, a lady lifeguard spots the boy flailing his arms as he struggles to keep afloat and blew her whistle before jumping into the water. Within seconds, the lady lifeguard reached the boy in distress and pulled his head and shoulder above the water before patting the child's back on the back to check if lungs are clear.
She allowed the boy to hold onto the floating device and they both swim back to the ladder at the side of the pool and to safety.
Lifeguard rescues drowning boy in this video.
Water experts said the video highlights the dangers of allowing children to swim unattended even in a crowded swimming pool. Statistics showed that half of children who drown die with 25 yards of a parent or adult, reported the Daily Mail. Men and children are at the most risk of drowning, according to statistics.
The video is also aimed at reminding the public how difficult it can be to spot a child struggling in the water, even if the pool is packed with other people because of the constant splashing action.
It is unclear where the footage was filmed.
According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third leading cause of all unintentional injury death worldwide. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), reported364 fatal pool drownings among children under age 15 in 2012, the majority of which occurred in residential pools.
The report advised the public to always look out for these warning signs in detecting if a person is drowning:
- Head low in the water, mouth at water level
- Head tilted back with mouth open
- Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
- Eyes closed
- Hair over forehead or eyes
- Not using legs - vertical
- Hyperventilating or gasping
- Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
- Trying to roll over on the back
- Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder
On its web site, the CPSC Pool Safely offers these simple guidelines for staying safe in pools and spas.
"Stay Close, Be Alert, And Watch"- As the video demonstrates, a swimmer can end up in danger in the blink of an eye. Nothing can replace constant supervision, so don't take your eyes off your children around water.
"Learn and Practice Water Safety Skills"- Not only is it critical to learn to swim, but it's also important to learn how to perform CPR on both children and adults as well as other life saving procedures.
"Have the Appropriate Equipment"- This includes fences and self-closing, self-latching gates, alarms, and drain covers as well as life-saving equipment like poles and life rings.
