Toddler, Teen & Elderly Man Drown In Tragic Week On The Water

An autopsy on a 20-month-old Mississauga girl who drowned in Rice Lake was scheduled for Thursday at the Hospital for Sick Children.

The little girl, identified as Kiara MacNevin, was found Wednesday in a metre of water off the end of the cottage dock on Rack Island, about 30 kilometres north of Cobourg, according to the OPP.

The child was reportedly sleeping in her portable playpen in a bunkhouse along with two adults. One of her guardians got up to take a boat trip to the mainland and when she returned the little girl had apparently been in the water for about 10 minutes.

The toddler was rushed to hospital but doctors were unable to save her.

A Toronto-area teen drowned Wednesday afternoon in the waters off Wasaga Beach. The 18-year-old was lying on an inflatable raft that drifted into deeper water and the young man drowned when he slipped off, according to police.

His name hasn’t been released.

And a veteran kayaker also drowned Wednesday.

Seventy-six-year-old Herbert Pohl of Burlington drowned in Lake Superior. He had travelled Ontario’s waterways by canoe and kayak for four decades.

He apparently wasn’t wearing a life jacket when divers found his body.

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Here are some facts about children and drowning, courtesy of the Canadian Red Cross:

• Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for Canadian children aged one to four. 
• For every toddler who dies from drowning, it is estimated there are three to five additional near drownings, which require hospitalization. 
• In nearly half of the infant and toddler drownings, the victims were alone.  
• A small child can drown in only a few inches of water – enough to cover the mouth and nose.  
• Drowning can occur in less time than it takes to read this safety message.  
• The most common location for infant drownings is the bathtub.
• Home swimming pools account for 38% of toddler drownings.  
• Since 1991, only 4% of reported toddler drownings were in pools with self-closing and self-latching gates.  
• If all home pools were equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates, nearly all toddler pool drownings and about one-third of all toddler drownings could be eliminated.

Here are some water safety tips, courtesy of the Lifesaving Society:

• Keep children within arms’ reach. If you’re not within arms’ reach, you’ve
  gone too far. 
• Choose it and use it! Always wear a lifejacket or personal flotation device. 
• Think about it! Don’t drink and drive your boat. 
• Learn to swim. Enroll your children in swimming lessons. At a minimum make sure everyone in your family can achieve the Canadian Swim to Survive Standard – the essential skills to survive an unexpected fall into deep water.

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And here are some tips about PFDs and life jackets:

• Inspect your lifejacket or PFD (personal flotation device) regularly, keep it in a well-ventilated area, and keep it free of detergents (chlorine) and salt).
• Always wear a lifejacket while boating – don’t just leave it on the floor of the vessel.
• There are three types of approved flotation devices: lifejackets, personal flotation devices or PFDs (more comfortable than lifejackets and available in child sizes), and inflatable PFDs (approved for those 16 years of age and older).
• Make sure your lifejacket fits snugly to your body – do up all zippers and buckles
• When picking a lifejacket or PFD for your child, check that it’s Canadian approved.
• The Canadian Coast Guard recommends bright coloured lifejackets for better visibility.
• Choose a lifejacket that’s comfortable and allows free movement, including walking and sitting.
• Test your PFD after you put it on by pulling on the collar and ensuring that it doesn’t ride up to interfere with breathing.
• When buying a PFD for your child, make sure you can pull it over his or her ears. The PFD is too small if you can’t fasten the buckles or straps.