A toddler who nearly drowned in a Westside swimming pool was saved by her fast-acting grandfather on Saturday.
The girl, who turns two next week, and her family were visiting from out of town when she wandered into the backyard pool. The pool was surrounded by a security fence, but someone had failed to close the gate properly.
An adult spotted the child under the water and pulled her out unconscious. Her grandfather, who lives at the house, performed CPR for a couple of minutes, police said. She threw up water and regained consciousness.
"It was one of those tragic things. You turn your back for a second," said the grandfather, who asked to have his name and address withheld. "Luckily, I‘ve got volunteer fire-department training in CPR.
"Today she‘s 100 per cent fine. It‘s a blessing."
The family had gathered on the lawn outside the pool area. Someone called an ambulance, and paramedics treated the child after she regained consciousness. The ambulance service called RCMP at 5:19 p.m. Saturday.
The girl and her family returned home on Sunday. Her grandfather said he had put the cover on the pool and locked the gate. He was still recovering from what he called a "traumatic" incident.
"We‘re thankful things turned out positively. It could have been a whole different day right now," he said.
The near drowning was the Okanagan‘s second in two days. A foreign exchange student from Korea was in serious condition in Vernon on the weekend after swimming Friday in Kalamalka Lake.
Officials at first believed the 20-year-old man had drowned but emergency crews managed to revive him. Top of Page
