Photo: Facebook
A Florida father was willing to do whatever it took to prevent his son from drowning after the almost 2-year-old boy accidentally fell into their backyard pool recently.
Passavanti and his family were enjoying a relaxing afternoon on Sunday — his wife and daughter in the pool, while he was lounging in the shade — when his son, Rocco, fell into the water.
At the time, the 1-and-a-half-year-old was playing with an inflatable ball in their Palm Beach County yard when it suddenly landed in the pool.
In an effort to chase it, Rocco ran through the open pool gate, reached for the ball, but accidentally leaned too far and fell into the water — and according to Passavanti, he cannot swim.
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Without any hesitations, Passavanti rose from his chair and leapt over the 4-foot fence surrounding the pool to dive in and rescue his son. The rest of his family, meanwhile, can be seen in the video watching on in fear.
Though the pool gate was open, Passavanti said, in the heat of the moment, he didn’t consider going around it. “It didn’t even cross my mind to go around,” he explained to the local news outlet. “It was point A to point B.”
Thankfully, Passavanti’s quick actions saved Rocco’s life, but the Florida native acknowledged that having preventative measures, such as the gate around their pool, does not mean they’ll be effective if they’re not used properly.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control, children between the ages of 1 and 4 have the highest drowning rates, with most occurring in swimming pools at home. And among the children ages 1 to 4 who die of unintentional injuries, drowning accounts for one-third of the deaths.
TheAmerican Red Crossrecommends protecting home pools with a gate. “Secure your pool with appropriate barriers. Completely surround your pool with a 4-feet high fence or barrier with a self-closing, self-latching gate. Place a safety cover on the pool or hot tub when not in use and remove any ladders or steps used for access. Consider installing a pool alarm that goes off if anyone enters the pool,” says the American Red Cross website.
source: people.com
