Toddler drowns in backyard pool

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, March 10, 2004 | 11:17 a.m.

A 20-month-old boy drowned Tuesday afternoon in a backyard pool that had about 2 feet of water in it, police said.

A fire department spokesman said the boy was in the water for five to 10 minutes when his mother found him about 2:30 p.m. in the above-ground pool.

The Clark County coroner's office today identified the victim as Kennan Bowen of Las Vegas.

Neighbors said the toddler appeared pale when paramedics carried him to an ambulance in front of the home in the 1000 block of North Greymouth Street, near Eldorado High School. The boy had a heartbeat when he was taken to Sunrise Hospital, Metro Police Lt. Jeff Carlson said.

About three hours later, Carlson said, the boy had died. Carlson said the family has two other children.

Neighbors called the death tragic and a freak accident that they hope will make other parents more aware of the dangers of having a pool.

The drowning follows a near-drowning Saturday of another Las Vegas Valley toddler, an 18-month-old girl who got into a family whirlpool spa. Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said the incidents demonstrate how "we are suddenly into the season" when residents with pools need to be cautious.

"The most dangerous time is when the temperature starts to warm up like it has this week," Leinbach said.

Drowning accidents are the No. 1 cause of accidental deaths for young children in Nevada and are most likely to happen in the afternoon or early evening, Leinbach said. Children between the ages of 18 months and 4 years old are the most likely victims, he said.

"Those people with children in this age group and a pool need to sit down and say, 'This could happen to us and we need to prevent it,"' Leinbach said.

Leinbach said those families should put barriers, such as a fence, net or motion detector, between their house and the pool; block doggie doors; remove items that might attract children, such as toys; remove items such as ladders that would allow a child to climb over a fence; provide constant adult supervision of their pools; and learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

"These generally are not abusive or neglectful parents, but they get distracted, maybe the phone rings or there's something on the stove," Leinbach said. "It's just a normal day that turns very tragic."

Between 1995 and 2002, 67 children age 14 or younger drowned in Clark County, according to the Clark County Health District.

Each year during that period an average of eight kids died, with a high of 14 children who died in 1998. The overwhelming majority of those who died were 4 or younger.

Also during that time there were 371 near drownings -- an average of 46 a year -- of children 14 or younger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that 20 percent of near-drownings that require hospitalization result in severe neurological damage.

Statistics for last year were not immediately available. However, for 2002, six children 14 and younger drowned, a slight decrease from eight in 2001 and a significant dip from 14 in 1998. Near-drowning incidents dipped to 50 in 2002 from 59 in 2001, the previous high for the eight-year period.

Judie Ryan, who lives next door, said she hopes her neighbors' tragedy shows others they need to be extra careful if they have pools.

"I always told my husband I would love to have a pool, but then I would get worried about the kids," she said.

The Ryans have a whirlpool spa in their back yard, but she said they always keep it covered when they aren't using it.

Neighbor Deon Gatewood also was home when the accident happened.

"We heard a scream of panic or shock," Gatewood said.

Minutes later the ambulance arrived, he said.

"Then they ran the baby out and he didn't look good. He had an IV and an oxygen mask," Gatewood said.

Leinbach said the mother called 911 after finding her child, and the dispatcher talked her through giving the boy CPR until rescuers arrived.

Sun reporter

Ed Koch contributed to this story.

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