This story comes to us from WYFF News in GREENVILLE, S.C. —
An Upstate family says their 3-year-old nearly drowned in an above-ground pool at a party over the weekend.
The family released video to WYFF News 4 showing the child running past adults to get to the pool in a backyard in the Cherrydale area. He then went up the steps and fell over the edge into the water.
More than two minutes went by before the boy's brother saw him underwater and yelled for help.
An uncle near the pool jumped in to save him.
Family members say the boy was taken to a hospital directly after to be checked out and was released a few hours later.
The family said they shared the video in hopes of helping make others aware of how this can happen so fast. They later asked WYFF News 4 to remove the video.
We are so grateful that this child was seen and survived this drowning. It's important to know that drownings often occur at gatherings that are not pool parties.
Children are curious and drawn to the water. They are persistent, creative and fast. The water is not an environment that provides room for that characteristics without the required skills to survive.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for America's children under five years of age. Layers of protection are the solution. For more information on layers of protection, please visit our site, https://www.parentspreventingchildhooddrowning.com/prevention