Saturday, June 26, 1999
Three kids nearly drown
Unguarded pools danger to youths
BY LEW MOORES and MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Robert Downs is hugged by a friend after Downs and his brother, Roscoe, left, saved two boys from drowning.
(Steven M. Herppich photo)
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Three children nearly drowned in two separate incidents Friday while swimming at pools without lifeguards.
Dontay Hill, 10, and Duane Hill, 12, both of Colerain Township, were pulled from the small outdoor pool at the Forest Glen apartments, 2610 West Galbraith Road, by three quick-thinking teens about 2:30 p.m.
About an hour later, a 7-year-old boy from North Carolina was pulled from an indoor pool in the Hampshire House Hotel, 30 Tricounty Parkway, in Springdale.
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POOL SAFETY TIPS
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Drowning in private pools ranks as a leading cause of death of young children, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and more than 2,000 children annually are treated in hospital emergency rooms for submersion injuries. Here are some tips to keep children safe at the pool:
• Never leave children unattended and always try to have an adult nearby who can swim.
• Children should wear life jackets if they don't know how to swim.
• Register children for Red Cross and YMCA certified swimming classes.
• Make sure your public pool has fencing, safety equipment, an emergency phone and posts safety rules visible to all patrons.
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The child, Dennis Hardenboyd Jr. of Charlotte, was taken via AirCare to Children's Hospital where he was in critical condition Friday evening. Dontay and Duane also were taken to Children's and were both in fair condition.
The Forest Glen rescuers — Robert Downs and his brother, Roscoe, both 14, and a friend, Austin Dozier, 13 — were all either swimming in or near the pool when they noticed the Hill brothers' distress.
“They looked like they were playing,” said Austin. “Then we saw Dontay sitting on the bottom of the pool.”
Someone in the complex called 911 at 2:36 p.m. as Robert Downs grabbed Duane, put him over his shoulder and brought him out of the pool. Austin, meanwhile, picked up Dontay and brought him out.
“They definitely saved the two boys' lives,” said Dave Jennings, a firefighter and spokesman for the Colerain Township Department of Fire and EMS.
“I pushed on his stomach,” said Roscoe of his efforts with Duane. “He spit up mucous. I worked on him. He started breathing. Someone asked him, "Do you know who this is?' He said, "Yeah, that's Ros coe.'”
Robert said he did not have CPR training, but just began pushing on Dontay's stomach. Both he and Austin worked on Dontay, pushing on the youth's stomach.
“Dontay started breathing,” said Robert. “But he wasn't in as good a shape as Duane.”
Roscoe, who wore an eye patch and said he recently underwent eye surgery, was not in the pool but standing next to it when the incident occurred.
Roscoe said both boys had gravitated toward the deep end of the pool — its deepest end is 8 feet — when they sunk. A sign at the pool warns there is no lifeguard.
There is a similar sign posted near the indoor pool at the Hampshire House Hotel, where Dennis' relatives gathered Friday for an annual family reunion.
Officials were called to the hotel shortly after 3:30 p.m. and arrived to find the child out of the water, being given CPR by another hotel guest.
It was not known how long he had been submerged; the pool was more than 6 feet deep, said Springdale Fire Capt. Ralph Richey, adding that a girl alerted adults near the pool that the little boy was beneath the water.
Another hotel guest jumped in and pulled the boy to the surface.
In the case of a private hotel/motel or apartment complex pool, size dictates whether lifeguards need be present.
If it's less than 2,000 square surface feet, no lifeguard is needed, officials said; but adult supervision always is a necessity.
“Pools should not be left accessible to young children,” Mr. Jennings said.
But knowledge of CPR, just in case, is always helpful in the event of a water-related emergency, officials added.
“I feel good knowing they're OK now,” said Robert.
Kim Downs, Robert and Roscoe's mother, said she was startled by what had happened. But, she said, she had taught her children to get involved.
“I teach them to help when they can,” said Ms. Downs. “But I never would have thought this. Wow.”
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