Warning for parents as pool incident shows dangers of inflatable rubber rings
Warning: Some readers may find the following video disturbing
As schools break up for the summer holidays, parents have had a stark reminder about pool safety after a shocking video went viral online.
The short clip shows a little girl struggling to escape after her rubber ring flips over, trapping the child beneath the water’s surface.
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Although she was thankfully able to escape in the end, it’s a timely reminder of just how easily tragedies can occur.
Filmed earlier this month in Guangzhou, China, the footage shows the unnamed child enjoying the public pool around 5:51 pm (local time).
Though she’s surrounded by adults and other swimmers, she seems to go unnoticed as her bright orange rubber ring tilts to the side.
As she heads towards the deeper water though, she flipped upside down and becomes trapped as the inflatable suddenly overturns.
Struggling to escape, her legs frantically kicking in the air and it is several seconds before another person sees her.
The on-duty lifeguard then jumps in to save her, as another man also rushes to her aid.
Thankfully, the little girl is able to break free before tragedy occurs, with the lifeguard then carrying her to the edge of the pool.
Whilst she was unharmed, the heart-stopping incident is a shocking reminder of how quickly accidents can happen.
Experts have even warned against using inflatables this summer – except for swim vests or life jackets.
The aquatics coordinator for the American Red Cross, Sally Schneider, explained why to the LA Times, saying that the devices are ‘very dangerous’.
She added: "Floating toys are the last thing you should put your child in to play in the water."
This is true even with confident swimmers, as drowning often occurs suddenly and even more frighteningly, silently.
In fact, one US mum even wrote about the moment her toddler nearly drowned with the family being unaware of the terrifying incident that was unfolding.
Rachel Barton Lister told Today that her then-two-year-old refused to leave a hot tub at a relative’s house and even dashed back, whilst the family were saying goodbye.
She later was found face down in the water and received life-saving CPR from her dad before being rushed to the hospital – thankfully she went on to make a full recovery.
Lister told readers: “That image will stay with me for as long as I live. Her eyes were open, but there was no life in them.
“You can never relax when you have kids around the water. Never.”
Katherine Sidnell