On June 10, Kevin Hernandez died at the young age of 16 months of age. His mother found him drowned in a back yard pool located on San Altos Place in Lemon Grove. EMS was notified and took Kevin emergently to Sharp Grossmont Hospital. Kevin was pronounced dead after measures to resuscitate him failed.
Lapses in adult supervision, even while parents were home, are very common features of drowning accidents. Unlike adults, young children do not call out for help while in distress, they generally drown silently. The major causes of injury and death are related to environmental factors, such as hazardous structures and pools of water. Because of a toddlers’ lack of judgment, they are at high risk for drowning accidents. For every child that drowns there are approximately five near-drowning episodes in children. Drowning is the second highest cause of injury-related deaths in children between the ages of one and nine years old.
