There were thirty campers in the pool and four counselors on duty. Roxie’s ‘buddy counselor’ was distracted by another camper and a counselor from outside of the pool fence noticed Roxie floating face down in the shallow end of the pool. She was floating for minutes.
On the first day of camp all of the campers’ swimming abilities were tested. Roxie was designated as a non-swimmer, however, that designation did not stop the camp from leaving her unattended in the pool. The camp took the time to test the abilities of the campers, they should have used that information to split the campers up into groups based on ability during swim times, assigning additional counselors/lifeguards to the groups with the lower level swimmers for additional safety. Also, non-swimmers specifically should be provided flotation devices and rules put in place and followed for their use.
The World Health Organization cites that drowning is the number one cause of death outside of birth defects in children aged one-through-four. In the one-through-fourteen age category, drowning is the second most common cause of unintentional death after car accidents.Police said the young girl fell into an indoor swimming pool at a Cordova hotel just after midnight Thursday.
This happened at the Comfort Suites at on North Germantown Parkway.
“Your motherly instincts just kick in and as a mother I would hope someone would do this for my kids too,” said Amy Chavez, who tried to save the girl.
The Chavez family had been driving for hours on their way to Kentucky.
As they decided to stop and get some rest at Comfort Suites in Cordova, they never expected to have to jump into action.
“The manager came out and said, ‘I need you to call 911. There’s a little girl who drowned in the pool,’” said Christopher Chavez, who was with his wife Amy when the drowning happened.
Police said the girl accidentally fell in the indoor pool.
Christopher Chavez and his wife Amy immediately went to the pool and saw the girl unresponsive and her sister nearby.
“I’m CPR trained,” Amy said. “As a mother I just took off, ran down the hall and got to her as fast as I could.”
Amy said she gave the little girl CPR for 20 minutes before medics arrived.
Despite their efforts, police said the the girl later died at the hospital.
“I mean, it’s a pool, it’s water,” Amy said. “But as a safety precaution, it should be closed at all times.”
The hours at the Comfort Suites indoor pool are from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. but Amy said the doors were unlocked. There are also signs posted throughout the area warning parents not to leave their child unattended.
“When you see a beautiful young girl like that and her life extinguished at 4 years old, it just breaks your heart,” Chavez said.
Chavez said they never expected to experience this during their road trip to Kentucky.
They are urging parents to be vigilant when their children are near water.
Memphis Police said the investigation continues.A spokesperson for Choice Hotels, the company that owns the Comfort Suites, sent the following statement to FOX13:
“We are deeply saddened to hear about this tragic incident. As this is an independently owned and operated franchised hotel, please contact the hotel directly for any further questions.”
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