OLD TOWNE – A national of Jamaica has died after attempting to save his child from a pool.
According to Deputy Commissioner Charles Thompson emergency services responded to a call for assistance from a residence in Old Towne. Upon arrival they found an 11-year-old girl and a man thought to be in his early 40’s receiving CPR by others on the scene.
The girl responded to CPR and was taken to the hospital by the ambulance, while the man was unresponsive and was later pronounced dead. Thompson revealed that the girl may likely need to be medevaced because of her condition.
While the police would not release the name of the man pending notification of kin, the deputy commissioner said it was believed they were in the pool of a residence where the man works. The house was presently unoccupied.
Thompson said CPR was performed by two US nationals who were in the area and former Deputy Commissioner Paul Morris who had been out for his afternoon walk. Morris said it was not his usual route but had felt led to take a different path that evening.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.
- There are an estimated 372 000 annual drowning deaths worldwide.
- Global estimates may significantly underestimate the actual public health problem related to drowning.
- Children, males and individuals with increased access to water are most at risk of drowning.
- Males are especially at risk of drowning, with twice the overall mortality rate of females.
