Life Saver Pool Fence is dedicated to honoring the victims of accidental drowning deaths. We do not want their stories to become just another statistic. Each of these deaths brings us great sadness. For this reason, each month, we take a look back at some of the lives we’ve lost. We can learn something from each death and hopefully prevent further drowning deaths.

In January 2018 alone, there were several accidental drowning deaths documented in the United States. Keep these names and stories in your heart. In nearly all cases, accidental drowning is preventable. Here are the stories of January.

Wednesday,  January 31, 2018 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

CNN host Don Lemon’s older sister, L’Tanya ‘Leisa’ Lemon Grimes, 58, drowns after tripping and falling into a Louisiana pond while fishing. Our hearts go out to him and his family during this difficult time. Life Saver Pool Fence advocates the importance of swim lessons. It’s never too late to learn how to swim and can be the difference between life and death.

Monday, January 29, 2018 – Vero Beach, Florida

The Indian River Sheriff’s Office reports that a 2-year-old girl was found unconscious in a pool. In this case, the home was armed with a pool fence, but the gate was left open. This is why we stress the importance of having a self closing, self latching gate. The girl’s name was not released.

Saturday, January 27, 2018 – Scotland County – North Carolina

Four-year-old Raul Johnson drowned in a pond near his home in Scotland County.  An amber alert was initiated on January 27 after his parents noticed he was missing.  After 3 days of searching, the FBI drained a local pond and the boy’s body was found. At this time, his death appears to be accidental, according to the local Sherifs department. Our hearts break for his parents and loved ones. A 4-year-old child had an active imagination and officials are inclined to want to explore. In this case, swimming lessons and active supervision could have saved Raul’s life. No further details have been released.

Thursday, January 25, 2018 – Nassau County, Florida 

January was National Bath Safety Awareness Month. WJXT reports that a mother left her 14-month-old and three-year-old alone in a bathtub at their Nassau County home on Tuesday afternoon. Reports state that “[the mother] stepped out of the room for just a few minutes, and when she came back, the smaller child was under water.” The child was pronounced dead.

Children under the age of two can drown in as little as five inches of water. This is why active supervision, especially when in and around the water, is so important. This child’s death was preventable. No charges have been pressed against the mother and the name of the child has not been released.

Monday, January 22, 2018  – Brandon, Florida

An 11-month-old girl drowned in her apartment complex’s pond. The Hillsborough County Sherif’s department is currently investigating how the infant ended up at the pond. This is another case for active supervision. It is also important to have child-proof locks on all doors and windows of your home to prevent your little one from going outdoors unattended.

Sunday, January 14-15, 2018— Indico, California

Two children died in a two-day time span in Coachella Valley. One-year-old, Diego Torres and another child whose age has not been disclosed have drowned in their backyard pools. These were unrelated events. Details on how they found their way to their pools are unknown. Active supervision, childproof locks, a Life Saver pool fence, and Infant Survival Swimming (ISR) lessons could have helped to prevent these deaths.

January 29, 2018 – Daytona Beach, Florida

Contrary to initial reports, this final story fortunately did not end in a drowning death. The Daytona Police reported that a 6-year old boy with autism almost drowned in a pond outside of his Florida home. Luckily, his father pulled the child out of the apartment complex’s pond shortly after discovering he was missing from their apartment. The boy was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Autism is a disorder that causes many children to walk off unsupervised. Children with autism are also drawn to the water, but are often unaware of the risk of drowning. Investigators report that the boy was last seen in the living room, while his father went to use the restroom. In this child’s case, he was being actively supervised in his home before the incident. However, child-proof locks, door alarms, and swimming lessons could have prevented this accident.Children with autism are three times more likely to die from an accidental drowning.Our hearts and prayers go out to this family for a swift recovery.