A 1-year-old girl is in critical condition following a near-drowning incident in a Phoenix bathtub, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. The incident occurred on the city's west side near the intersection of 51st Avenue and Indian School Road. The Phoenix Fire Department responded to a call around 3:00 p.m. and found the child unconscious and not breathing.
The first responders quickly initiated CPR on the scene. Despite the grave initial assessment, later developments suggest the young girl is expected to make a recovery. This hopeful turn was affirmed by officials with the Phoenix Fire Department, who confirmed the child's condition had stabilized, according to 12News.
Investigations are currently underway by the Phoenix Police Department to better understand the circumstances leading to this potentially tragic situation. Meanwhile, the community is reminded of the ever-present dangers that water poses to young children, especially considering that drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1-4, aside from birth defects, as pointed out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC stresses the importance of water safety and provides several drowning prevention tips: learning life-saving skills like swimming and CPR, installing a fence with self-closing and self-latching gates around pools, using life jackets, and keeping a strict and undistracted watch on children when they are in or near water. "When kids are in or near water (including bathtubs), closely supervise them at all times," the CDC advices, as drowning can "happen quickly and quietly," information shared by 12News.
