Student drowns on class trip

[nskjerven]

Prayers for this family today from me.

I'm sitting her knowing that I should not have opened this thread.

My 6th grade DD, 11 is at her class swim party at a water park today. I'm a nervous wreck with worry. I'm not sure why I didn't just volunteer to go with her, I always join on field trips

It is a hard balancing job being a parent, you want them to grow and experience life and good things and have rewards for good behaviour but sometimes it is so scary.

Send some prayer for me to chill out today too.

Thanks

[NotUrsula]

Three summers ago we had a horrific drowning case here. It was an inner-city church youth group, and they were doing a picnic at a local state park on the banks of the Meramec River. They were not actually swimming, but wading in about 2 feet of water near the beach, fully dressed. There were a lot of chaperones, but they were not experienced outdoorsmen, and what no one in the group realized is that the Meramec has an unstable bottom that is prone to sinkholes, AND a very treacherous current that commonly develops undertows. Experienced river swimmers find it difficult; anyone else shouldn't so much as get a toe wet without a full jacket on.

Five children drowned that day, 4 of them siblings. They ranged in age from 17 down to 10. One kid apparently hit a sinkhole and yelled out, and the others waded in to try to help, even though none of them could swim. The current took all of them within about 2 minutes. Rescue efforts were badly hampered because no one seemed to know how many children had actually been in the water when the accident happened.

Having chaperones is not enough; the chaperones need to be familiar with the conditions, certified for lifesaving, and *in* the body of water with the kids at all times, which goes double if it is open water of any kind. Head counts need to be taken continuously.

[ajk912]

Originally Posted by nskjerven

Prayers for this family today from me.

I'm sitting her knowing that I should not have opened this thread.

My 6th grade DD, 11 is at her class swim party at a water park today. I'm a nervous wreck with worry. I'm not sure why I didn't just volunteer to go with her, I always join on field trips

It is a hard balancing job being a parent, you want them to grow and experience life and good things and have rewards for good behaviour but sometimes it is so scary.

Send some prayer for me to chill out today too.

Thanks

I hear you now I am tempted to tell my son he can't go on his next month. It's so hard balancing this stuff, worry or not worry. My son can swim half the length of the pool, but after that he struggles and then he needs to stand because he starts gasping for air (you know how weaker swimmers do). They will be swimming for 2 hours in the evening, after being out and about all day, so I know the kids will be tired. He's the same age, too, about 10. I don't know if my son would truly listen to me if I told him DO NOT GO IN ANY water higher than 4 foot. CHECK!!!! That way if you get tired, you can stand.

[wvjules]

Originally Posted by hentob

With that being said, there has been a drowning death at Dorney in the past

I worked there years ago and these lifeguards are just kids themselves...getting paid a low wage.

Dorney's Wild Water Kingdom is PACKED with children that are bussed in day after day. Many of these kids are not able to swim, yet there parents let them come and do the water park

I would NOT rely on any lifeguard. I would make sure my child was a VERY strong swimmer before I sent him/her on a swim trip without me. Even then, I would not be sure I would allow them to go

Those poor parents

DD is actually a very good swimmer for not having had lessons. She can do the length of the pool and back under water on one breath. Swims great above water and can doggy paddle/float for a while. I've been drilling in her head no horseplay in/near the water. But she is 14 and will be with other 13/14 year olds so I can imagine how it might get.

It wasn't actually the water park part that was making me nervous. It is the roller coasters and thrill rides. I keep telling her to make sure her lap belt and safety bars are properly hooked before any ride takes off and if they aren't to yell FIRE at the top of her lungs to keep that ride from starting. I'm physically naseaous right now just thinking about her on some of those coasters.

I'm going to be a super-nervous wreck with both portions of her trip tomorrow now.

I can't imagine the pain the parents of that little boy are in. And I never want to experience it.

[yoopermom]

I think what really upsets me the most is that this is the second drowning incident we've had in the past week. Last weekend, a man took his 7 yr old daughter out canoeing on a local river, he put a life jacket on her but didn't wear one himself, the canoe went over, he drowned, she was saved. Gave me the shivers, since DH and his DF take DS boating all the time and always make DS wear a lifevest but never wear one themselves.

Terri

[merekc]

There are plenty of stories but I think that it is a good reminder for all to remember to keep your eyes on kids in the pool.

We were at a backyard pool party, lots of parents watching the pool. One inexperienced swimmer was bouncing around in the shallow end of the pool took a bad hop and bounced silently into the deep end. Luckily two parents saw it and were immediately in the pool, but most of the parents missed it. It was that quick and silent. The boy was fine but it could have easily have been otherwise and this is with 10 or so parents sitting around watching the kids.

I also know of someone whose kid was on the wall with all the other kids waiting their turn to swim during swim lessons. The instructor was out in the pool with one kid and had her back to the wall. One of the kids on the wall let go and silently went under. The mom saw it and jumped in and kid was OK, but this was during swim lessons.

So sorry for the family. Hope this is the only story like this we hear this summer.

[piglet too]

My DS had to be given CPR from a near drowning experience. My husband was in the pool (with DD) along with older DS and about 15 other kids. There were about 30 adults around the pool too. No one saw anything until my husband felt something bump into him. Saw it was our son floating face down and was able to get DD out of the pool and then drag our son out and start CPR. I turned around to see DH shaking DS, realized it was not a joke and screamed for 911. Thankfully our son was revived before the paramedics got there. He only spent the night in PICU for observation and he got to go home. We were later told that one "lucky" thing was that it was so cold that day. The cold water shocked the lungs before they could fill up, so he did not aspirate as much as he would have it it had been warmer. It is less likely the outcome would have been as good if the water had been warm.

This was almost 3 years ago, and I still hate pools. Hearing stories like this makes it all come rushing back, and I continue to thank God that my son is still here.

[akhenaten]

Originally Posted by merekc

It was that quick and silent.

So sorry for the family. Hope this is the only story like this we hear this summer.

Yes! I think that is what most people do not realize it is quick and totally silent!!

I saw my nephew fall into our pool years ago... not a sound ..not a splash...

if my Dsis and I had not seen it happen we would not have noticed a thing...
so frightening!!

Praying for the boy, his family and friends and classmates... especially those in charge on the trip....it would be so hard to be responsible for children on a trip and have this occur...

[MM27]

As a teacher, I would never take students on a trip that involved swimming. Just too risky. We had a child in my town that died on a water related field trip a few years back.

One of the teachers on my team was pushing and pushing this year to go to the community pool. They all thought I was awful because I said I didn't want to do that. I know accidents can happen on any trip, but accidents can be avoided by staying away from certain activities as well.

What a sad way for these kids to end the school year.

[Eeyores Butterfly]

It sounds like a very tragic and freak accident. I have had many opportunities to go on overnight trips- including one to Disney- with my school. The vast majority of these trips that school groups take turn out completely fine with no incidents, that's why they make the news when something happens. I'm grateful that my parents trusted me enough to go on trips to Disney, waterparks, amusement parks, etc. with various groups. The one to Disney involved flying from Missouri and spending a week there and no, my parents weren't with us (7th grade). I still have very fond memories of that trip and learned an incredible amount. It's natural to be nervous when your kids go somewhere, but you can't wrap them in bubble wrap. These kinds of accidents can happen anywhere, at anytime.

Originally Posted by wvjules

DD is actually a very good swimmer for not having had lessons. She can do the length of the pool and back under water on one breath. Swims great above water and can doggy paddle/float for a while. I've been drilling in her head no horseplay in/near the water. But she is 14 and will be with other 13/14 year olds so I can imagine how it might get.

It wasn't actually the water park part that was making me nervous. It is the roller coasters and thrill rides. I keep telling her to make sure her lap belt and safety bars are properly hooked before any ride takes off and if they aren't to yell FIRE at the top of her lungs to keep that ride from starting. I'm physically naseaous right now just thinking about her on some of those coasters.

I'm going to be a super-nervous wreck with both portions of her trip tomorrow now.

I can't imagine the pain the parents of that little boy are in. And I never want to experience it.

If it makes you feel any better, the vast majority of theme park injuries/fatalities are direct result of misconduct on the part of the guest. I cannot recall a single time a person was ejected from a roller coaster when it was the fault of the park. In every instance I have ever read about the guest took it upon themselves to unbuckle their seatbelt in order to engage in ill thought out stunts.

Theme parks really are quite safe. I used to work attractions in Fantasyland and my boyfriend is a supervisor for for Worlds of Fun, which is owned by Cedar Fair. He has supervised several major coasters including their inverted one, and he also supervises the rip cord (the thing where they hook you up to a cable and swing you between two towers). The parks take safety very seriously. There are numerous fail safes to prevent any kind of accident.

Employees must check every single seatbelt and lapbar (and say "check" when they do it). In fact, many times I have had mine checked twice! In order to launch the coaster every employee must give the clear hand signal and it takes at least two employees to hold down buttons (in separate locations) to launch it. If a seat belt or lap bar is not down all the way or latched properly the computer will stop the coaster and not allow it to proceed until the devices are latched properly- whether or not somebody is seated there.

Really, roller coasters are quite safe- probably safer than driving down the interstate! I would not advise her to yell "FIRE" for the simple reason she could easily start a panic which could result in injuries from tramplings- including fatalities. In fact, I'm pretty sure it would treated akin to yelling "FIRE" in a crowded theatre. If for some reason her belt is not latched and she thinks they are about to launch it, she should yell, "I'm not buckled in" Or even simpler, "HELP" at the top of her lungs. But like I said, no thrill ride computer will allow it to be launched if even one seat belt or lap bar is not fully engaged.

[a1tinkfans]

Originally Posted by Minnie824

Thats so sad.

See, as a parent, I may be one of the few, but at 5th grade I don't think the kids need to be going out of town or overnights or anything like that on fields trips. I don't even like it at high school age. Its just not needed.

So very very very sad.
I would not have even let my child go at that age, regardless of how many chaperones.

Just heard that the current "senior trip" with PLENTY of chaparones had a great trip (to Jersey Shore, stayed overnight)...now a week later, there are photos surfacing of very drunk kids, kids doing drugs and in compromising situations, so WHERE were the adults??? Who knows~~
Kids will do what kids do, they try and fit in, they experiment, they "normally" do this.
It scares me to death, so will I allow My children to do an overnight, and at what age....??? I just don't know....I/we may (with some other friends parents) plan something for our kids that has a bit more control,. but just as much fun ...parenting is NOT easy! When they are off to college, they are on their own, but while they are Home, it seems that there is more control in the decision making.....

Again, a real tragedy and another sad reminder that it takes Moments to lose a child! Sending prayers for the entire school and especially that family!

[hentob]

Originally Posted by wvjules

It wasn't actually the water park part that was making me nervous. It is the roller coasters and thrill rides. I keep telling her to make sure her lap belt and safety bars are properly hooked before any ride takes off and if they aren't to yell FIRE at the top of her lungs to keep that ride from starting.

Good tips for your daughter! I was only 16 and I was operating the Pirate Ship ride Looking back, I was NOT responsible enough to be doing such a job.

[SnowWhite607]

I wont even let my 8 year old go to a pool party! LOL! A girl asked if she could go home with her and swim in her pool. DD said "I dont think my mom will let me!"

I get accused all the time of being paranoid or too cautious or over protective but its things like this that make me realize that it takes literally seconds to lose a child. And yu cant always go around saying "oh things like that dont happen here" or "that wont happen to me" because I bet that poor boy's parents thought the same thing.

Not to be rude but I am wondering if Eeyore's Butterfly has children. If not, I can SWEAR to you that you have probably never experienced the amount of fear and anxiety that you will when you let your baby out of your sight for the first time, whether it be on a 4th grade class trip or a sr trip or whatever.

We actually had a kid from close to here who drowned when he fell off the Carnival cruise ship that he was on for his Sr trip.

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Originally Posted by SnowWhite607

I wont even let my 8 year old go to a pool party! LOL! A girl asked if she could go home with her and swim in her pool. DD said "I dont think my mom will let me!"

I get accused all the time of being paranoid or too cautious or over protective but its things like this that make me realize that it takes literally seconds to lose a child. And yu cant always go around saying "oh things like that dont happen here" or "that wont happen to me" because I bet that poor boy's parents thought the same thing.

Not to be rude but I am wondering if Eeyore's Butterfly has children. If not, I can SWEAR to you that you have probably never experienced the amount of fear and anxiety that you will when you let your baby out of your sight for the first time, whether it be on a 4th grade class trip or a sr trip or whatever.

We actually had a kid from close to here who drowned when he fell off the Carnival cruise ship that he was on for his Sr trip.

No, I don't have children. I realize there probably is a lot of fear and anxiety when your child is out of your sights, ubt I will be forever grateful that my parents were able to set aside that fear and let me have th experiences growing up that I have had. I'm sure my parents had a lot of anxiety about allowing me to go to college when I was 15 in Virginia while they lived in Missouri. I'm sure that fear was greatly intensified when September 11 happened. I was 16 years old with no car or cell phone, a college sophomore going to school an hour from DC. But they allowed me to continue at school despite the anxiety and danger and it is honestly the best decision we have ever made. Your child your rules. But the problem with these stories is they are sensational. These types of incidents are very rare, which is why they make the news. You never hear about the millions of class trips that go without a hitch, because where is the news in that?

You don't have to be a parent to have an opinion.

[SnowWhite607]

Originally Posted by Eeyores Butterfly

No, I don't have children. I realize there probably is a lot of fear and anxiety when your child is out of your sights, ubt I will be forever grateful that my parents were able to set aside that fear and let me have th experiences growing up that I have had. I'm sure my parents had a lot of anxiety about allowing me to go to college when I was 15 in Virginia while they lived in Missouri. I'm sure that fear was greatly intensified when September 11 happened. I was 16 years old with no car or cell phone, a college sophomore going to school an hour from DC. But they allowed me to continue at school despite the anxiety and danger and it is honestly the best decision we have ever made. Your child your rules. But the problem with these stories is they are sensational. These types of incidents are very rare, which is why they make the news. You never hear about the millions of class trips that go without a hitch, because where is the news in that?

You don't have to be a parent to have an opinion.

Okay did you miss the part where I said I didnt want to be rude? I think that last part was a bit snarky. No you dont have to have children to have an opinion. Its just that I know, as well as I am sure many other posters do, your perspective on things change immensely when you have kids.