Water Safety

POOL DROWNING FACTS

According to CDC.gov, in the United States (2022):

• More children ages 1–4 die from drowning than any other cause of death.
• For children ages 5–14, drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after motor vehicle crashes.
• 4,000+ fatal unintentional drownings—that is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.
• 8,000+ nonfatal drownings—that is an average of 22 nonfatal drownings per day.
• Drowning injuries can cause brain damage and other serious outcomes, including long-term disability.3-5

• Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years (CDC 2023)

• It is estimated that for each drowning death, there are 1 to 4 non-fatal submersions serious enough to result in hospitalization. Children who still require CPR at the time of arrival to the emergency department have a poor prognosis, with at least half of survivors suffering significant brain damage.

• 19% of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified Lifeguards present.

• Children under five and adolescents between the ages of 15-24 have the highest drowning rates.

• An estimated 5,000 children age 14 and under are hospitalized due to unintentional drowning-related incidents each year; 15 percent die in the hospital and as many as 20 percent suffer severe, permanent neurological disability. National Safety Council

• Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less.

• The majority of children who survive (92 percent) are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children who die (86 percent) are found after 10 minutes. Nearly all who require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die or are left with severe brain injury.