A two-year-old boy in the Inland Empire nearly drowned after falling inside of a pool, as the toddler finds himself in the critical condition, the grandfather shares the cautionary tale. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2024.
While an Inland Empire family prays endlessly for the full recovery of a toddler who’s been hospitalized after a near-drowning, they’re using the daunting experience as a warning for other families.
The Uriarte family has been praying nonstop for 2-year-old Jaxson, who somehow made his way into the backyard of the Moreno Valley family’s home. That’s where tragedy struck.
“He really had no access to the backyard,” said Eric Uriarte, the boy’s grandfather. “He had to get to three different doors and unfortunately, all three of them were slightly open, where he was able to go through.”
Eric Uriarte described the discovery in the pool as heart-shattering.
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“It was my worst nightmare to see my little baby boy, his lifeless body getting dragged out of the pool,” he said.
In order to survive, the toddler may need to be under the care of a Louisiana-based doctor who specializes in drowning victims.
Tammi Graham of the department First 5 Riverside County said children’s drowning can be preventable.
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“Making sure the pools are locked, they're secure,” she advised. “We're making sure that in some instances if families can have an alarm on their pool so that if something falls into the pool, they're alarmed. A double lock on their sliding glass door, the door going out to the pool, a fence around the pool.”
According to the World Health Organization, the highest drowning rates around the world are among children 0 to 4 years. It is one of the leading causes of death among children ages 1 to 14.
To learn more about drowning statistics from WHO, click here.
