TFD Stresses Importance Of Water Safety After Child Drowns At Apartment Complex

A child is dead after a boy and his younger sibling wandered out of their apartment to their complex pool. Tulsa police said the five-year-old died and the three-year-old younger sibling survived.

The child drowned at the Riverpark Apartments near 81st Street and Riverside. The five-year-old and three-year-old boys were unsupervised at the pool.

“It appears the two kids wandered out of their apartment, which is literally 20 yards away from the pool, while mom and dad were still asleep and the five-year-old got into the pool,” TPD Lt. Glen Uhren said.

Brandon Roque lives in an apartment that overlooks the complex pool. He was preparing to leave the complex to pick up breakfast when he saw the child laying face down in the water.

“I was nervous,” Roque said. “I was like, ‘Mom, is he moving? She said no, so I ran out there and grabbed him out of the pool.”

Tulsa Fire Department Public Information Officer Andy Little said this is a tragic accident that happens far too often.

“This is never the call we want to get, never something we want to respond to, a death of any kind, especially a child is heartbreaking,” Little said.

There are measures that can be taken to keep children safe around water. Little said the first step is to be vigilant.

According to Little, a drowning can happen in only a few inches of water, so an adult should never turn their back while taking care of a child in the water.

Little suggested if you have a pool, make sure there is a fence around it and a gate that can lock to ensure children can’t wander into the pool by accident and also make sure the child has on a life jacket when around pools as well.

Little also stressed the important of taking CPR classes. Knowing how to begin life-saving measures before first responders arrive can be vital in keeping a child alive.