ROANOKE, Va. – Ahead of one of the busiest weekends on the water, drownings in kids under 15 years old are up 12 percent nationwide.
Local doctors are warning parents to always supervise their children in the water. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages one to four.
Ottilia Lewis is the trauma outreach coordinator at Carilion Clinic. She said that parents need to take precautions this summer. Kids can drown in just 20 seconds in one inch of water. So she advises that guardians always keep a close eye on their kids when they’re swimming.
“As parents, you really want to stay pretty much within an arm’s reach away from your child in the water so that you can get to them very quickly and administer aid,” said Lewis.
She also recommends that children wear bright red, orange or yellow bathing suits, so they are easy to spot out in the water.