A 3-year-old girl has been hospitalized following a near-drowning experience in an above-ground pool at a home in Georgetown, Massachusetts, yesterday afternoon. According to WHDH, responding crews from the Georgetown Fire and Police Departments, along with mutual aid partners, were dispatched to the North Street residence after reports that the child had been submerged for more than three minutes.
The first to arrive on the scene were off-duty firefighters from Georgetown and Newbury who found the child unresponsive, immediately commenced CPR which successfully restored her pulse and breathing, "Arriving first on the scene were off-duty Georgetown and Newbury firefighters who learned that the child was removed from the pool but was unresponsive" according to Fire Chief Matthew McKay and Police Chief David Sedgwick in a statement, as reported by WHDH. On-duty officials arrived shortly thereafter to provide additional care, whereupon the child was transported to Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport by the Georgetown Fire Department with assistance from Atlantic and Newbury paramedics.
Further details from NBC Boston reveal that the victim was later airlifted to a hospital in Boston for more specialized treatment. The current status of the 3-year-old remains undisclosed, yet the incident has prompted an ongoing investigation by Georgetown authorities to determine its circumstances.
The community has been reminded of the critical need for vigilant supervision around residential pools, especially with the approach of summer and more frequent incidents of children drowning, "The child was taken to a nearly hospital before being transported by a medical helicopter to a Boston hospital for further treatment," as stated by NBC Boston. Georgetown Fire and Police are actively investigating this incident, and updates will follow as more information becomes available.
