Mother Blames Lifequards For Son Drowning

[JustYield]

Daily Mail

"His mother Caroline Ward, 41, said: ‘What I want to know is: where the hell were the lifeguards? It is peak season at the swimming pool, so how did he go unsupervised?"

I think we might agree on this one.

[Bloo Loo]

Daily Mail

"His mother Caroline Ward, 41, said: 'What I want to know is: where the hell were the lifeguards? It is peak season at the swimming pool, so how did he go unsupervised?"

I think we might agree on this one.

this pool should be closed. it is clear that thousands are at risk of drowning. Im not letting my kids out in the rain without water wings ever again.

[HPC=dream]

This is truly a tragic accident and you have to feel for the mother. In my opinion you also have to ask why the boy wasn't being supervised by the adults who were with him.

[AteMoose]

I remember when they pool was built, really modern at the time. One mixed sex changing room with pods, funky water jets/geysers, a wave machine! Quite a pool...

The waterfall area is to the right of the picture, its deep there, especially when the wave machine is on. Kids used to hang around there but it was a struggle..

[SarahBell]

This is truly a tragic accident and you have to feel for the mother. In my opinion you also have to ask why the boy wasn't being supervised by the adults who were with him.

Quite. I'm pretty certain kids aged 8 aren't allowed in on their own round here.

[AThirdWay]

Quite. I'm pretty certain kids aged 8 aren't allowed in on their own round here.

Article says he was with 3 adults, and I also wonder where they were. However, what's the point of having lifeguards if not to look for swimmers in difficulty.

Happened up here a while ago, and they pulled the cover over the pool without noticing the corpse....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/8363981.stm

[Executive Sadman]

Obviously every child should be assigned their own lifeguard. Presumably hundreds of other children died that day in the pool too due to the lack of lifeguards and parents too busy chinwagging.

[AThirdWay]

Obviously every child should be assigned their own lifeguard. Presumably hundreds of other children died that day in the pool too due to the lack of lifeguards and parents too busy chinwagging.

No just the swimmer that got into difficulty.... You know, the one that the lifeguards are there to help.... Your smart, you can work it out.

[Executive Sadman]

No just the swimmer that got into difficulty.... You know, the one that the lifeguards are there to help.... Your smart, you can work it out.

Its a swimming pool, not the bloody pacific. Kid probably would have drowned in two inches of bath water.

[AThirdWay]

Its a swimming pool, not the bloody pacific. Kid probably would have drowned in two inches of bath water.

Oh no, you couldn't work it out.

The lifeguards are there to ensure those of us who are likely to drown in two inches of water do not drown in public swimming pools. Their 'prime directive' if you like.

Stopping kids 'bombing' off the dive boards, or turning the water yellow, is a secondary thing.

[libspero]

Being a life guard must be an incredibly boring job.. you are there waiting for once in a 15 year event, then the second you step out to have a fag break some little beggar goes and drowns himself in the shallow end.

It sounds like one of those unfortunate events where everybody and nobody is to blame.

Everyone in the pool has a responsibility to help someone in trouble. If the parents miss it, the life guard misses it and the other swimmers miss it.. in my book it is just a very unusual and unfortunate event.

[MrPin]

There's more to this than is being said! Maybe there were extreme waves, or the lifeboat had run out of budget

[Bloo Loo]

This is truly a tragic accident and you have to feel for the mother. In my opinion you also have to ask why the boy wasn't being supervised by the adults who were with him.

Indeed, they wont let them play in the street, so why let them swim alone and unsupervised.

[Mrs Bear]

Speaking as someone who's often tried to watch just a few kids in a crowded pool - kids who were good swimmers- I don't know how even lifeguards can be expected to watch a whole pool-ful.

The truth is, however careful everyone is, accidents will happen. I say this with feeling, since my younger very nearly drowned as a 15 month old. I had turned my back for about a minute - picking up towels and toys and all the paraphernalia - during which time she got out of her pushchair, took her armbands off and toddled into the baby end of the pool. The water was only about 18 inches deep - there was no attendant at the pool. When I found her she was floating on her back in the pool, staring-eyed like a dead fish. It was the most horrible experience of my life, but thanks to some instant artifical respiration, she was fine.

And I thought I was an exceptionally careful parent.

I took her back to the pool the very next day, minus armbands, and for several consecutive days after that - until she could swim.

Never had to try with my elder - she just jumped in at just under 2 one day while I was in the pool, and came up swimming like a tadpole.

What drives me mad in my local pool - apart from parents who obviously aren't watching non-swimmers - is kids of 5, 6 or 7, still mucking about in armbands. Take the bloody armbands off!! They're never going to learn with those things on. And stay right beside them in the water, continuously, until they can swim. Most kids will do it easily enough if they're given just a few hours to crack it, in warm enough water. And the younger the better.

,