Yesterday I heard the news about a 6 year old boy who died in a swimming pool near my home town in Holland. He was going off the slide in a swimming pool located at a camping. At the top of the slide he blocked the water until there was enough to increase his speed going down the slide. He had build up so much speed that he ended up hitting his head at the wall on the opposite side of the pool. Result: a broken neck and ultimately dead. They tried to resuscitate but it was already too late.

There were no lifeguards on duty. There usually isn’t one in a swimming pool on a camping or caravan park. It kind of made me wonder where the parents were. No one noticed until he was already dead. Wasn’t anyone watching this kid? I would never let my child swim unsupervised anywhere. An accident can happen just like that. It is the responsibility of a parent to always watch their children.

A story like this really saddens me. As a lifeguard I know all the dangers of a swimming pool. What he did is a common thing for kids to do. I understand that it’s fun to do, but people don’t realize how dangerous it is. Maybe an accident like this will wake them up and open up some eyes.