Girl Pulled From Lauderhill Pool May Have Been Under Water for 7 Minutes
Akilah Honson - South Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 23, 2009
LAUDERHILL - A 10-year-old girl who was pulled out of a swimming pool Sunday after possibly being under water for as long as seven minutes is in critical condition today, police said.
The unidentified girl, who was found Sunday afternoon, is at Plantation Hospital, police spokeswoman Capt. Constance Stanley.
Police are investigating.
Jarvis Brown-Hixson, 13, said he stepped outside his Palm Vista apartment Sunday and heard cries of "Help!" from neighborhood friends.
They were calling from the courtyard swimming pool, where the girl floated near the bottom.
Jarvis had to scale a 6-foot fence to get to the pool. Once there, he jumped in and pulled the girl out of the water. He said he hopes the girl will survive. Later Sunday, she was using a ventilator to breathe.
When he first heard the kids' commotion, the teen reported to his mother what they were saying: "The baby is in the pool . . . and won't get out," Tangela Brown said. "I started screaming, 'Jarvis, go get her!' Because I know I can't swim."
As his mother dialed 911, at about 2 p.m., Jarvis ran outside, climbed over the iron fence and jumped into the water.
Hours later, the 13-year-old was still wearing a soggy T-shirt and jeans as he stood near the pool at 5300 NW 25th Court.
"I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out," he said. "I felt her heart beat."
She wasn't breathing. Witnesses told investigators the girl may have been under water for about five minutes.
One of the first adults at the scene was a nurse, who started CPR until paramedics arrived. The girl was then rushed to Plantation General Hospital, Lauderhill Police Capt. Constance Stanley said.
The girl had a strong pulse but still was not breathing on her own, Stanley said about two hours after the incident.
In 2008, drowning-related deaths claimed the lives of 14 Broward County children under 18, and drowning is the leading cause of death among Broward children younger than 5, according to officials.
Exactly what happened at the pool is unclear, but it appears several neighborhood children jumped the fence, which had a locked gate, Stanley said. There were no adults present, she said.
Investigators think the kids were horsing around on the pool deck, and the girl "was pushed in, or she might have jumped," Stanley said.
Akilah Johnson can be reached at akjohnson@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4527.
www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/lauderhill/sfl-flbdrowning0323sbmar23,0,3329988.story