A tragedy was narrowly prevented on Monday when Usher Raymond V, age 5 and son of the singer Usher, nearly drowned in his backyard pool. According to news accounts, the child was playing in the pool when he dove down to the bottom to retrieve an object. His arm got caught in the powerful suction of the drain and he couldn’t free himself. The boy’s aunt then dove in to save him, but she couldn’t get his arm free, either. Fortunately, two men working at the house heard the ruckus and saved the child.
According to USA Today, the boy is expected to recover. But in the last five years, at least 39 children died or were seriously injured from pool drains.
A Preventable Injury
This type of injury used to be more common, but in 2008 all public pools were required to install drain covers to prevent this type of accident. The law, called the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, has totally eradicated pool drain injuries in public pools.
Private pools are not covered by the law, however.
Why wouldn’t everyone buy pool drain covers? Perhaps homeowners are unaware of the exact nature of the danger. It’s not that hands get trapped in the drain; rather, the extremely powerful suction pulls the person and holds them underwater. It can happen to adults as well as children. The suction is so powerful that some people who got too close to the drain had their internal organs ripped right out.
A drain cover costs less than $100, plus the labor to have them installed. A small price to pay for peace of mind.
To learn more about pool drain safety, watch our video here:
Or visit the Pool Safely website, part of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) here: poolsafely.gov
For more health and safety information, visit our website at www.hensonfuerst.com. If you have questions, HensonFuerst has answers.
