Child needed help

“My colleague immediately jumped into the pool”

Lifesavers Michael Thanner and Anna Zimmermann

(Bild: Wasserrettung Laakirchen)

After jumping into the pool at the Laakirchen outdoor pool, a six-year-old boy panicked and also pulled his mother under the water. Fortunately, rescuers were on the scene immediately and pulled them both to the edge. The two lifesavers describe the anxious moments to the "Krone".

The Laakirchen outdoor pool never makes it out of the headlines. It was only on Tuesday that a brawl broke out between bathers, in which the lifeguard who intervened was also injured. He is currently on sick leave and is being replaced by water rescuers, who were immediately called upon on Thursday. A six-year-old panicked after jumping from a diving platform into the cool water.

Dragged mom under the water with him
His mother was on the spot immediately as she watched her child from the 1.90 meter deep pool. But the boy clung to the adult and pulled her under the water with him. The woman had no chance of holding the child up and called for help. "I was treating a leg injury, but my colleague immediately jumped into the pool and brought the two of them to the edge," says Anna Zimmermann from Laakirchen Water Rescue.

Danger of secondary drowning
Mother and child had swallowed a lot of water during the dramatic scenes and were quickly taken to hospital. "There was a risk of secondary drowning," says the water rescuer. "If you inhale a lot of water, this can lead to pulmonary oedema, which can cause serious health problems up to 24 hours later." Even good swimmers should not overestimate themselves in the water: "An adult can be overwhelmed by a child who is in danger of drowning," says Zimmermann.

Kommentar

Jeder kann einmal Hilfe brauchen

The current example shows once again that well-intentioned can often mean badly done. Although the mother was there to look after her child, she had no chance of saving the boy in an emergency.

(Bild: Markus Wenzel, adobe.stock.com, Krone KREATIV)

This shows how quickly any of us can find ourselves in an emergency (through no fault of our own) and have to rely on help from others. Thank goodness there are people who sacrifice their free time to be there when this happens. Many thanks for that!