A South Florida father and his family members had the fright of their lives when a toddler sneaked through a swimming pool security fence and fell into the water on June 23.
Albert Passavanti knew something could go awfully wrong when saw his son Rocco, 1, walking inside the fenced pool area and chasing an inflatable ball floating on the water at his home in West Palm Beach.
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Within 12 seconds little Rocco found himself underwater and quickly sinking to the bottom of the pool.
Luckily, Passavanti’s parental instincts kicked in and he ran over to the pool, jumped the 4-foot-tall fence, brought Rocco back up to the surface, and prevented a tragic drowning.
“Rocco is getting faster and more daring,” the relieved father said.
The toddler found his way into the water on the sunny and very hot afternoon even though a security fence was already erected around the pool. The father admitted he and the other three adults should have closed the gate.
“Baby gates only work when you close them,” Passavanti said. “The gate is always shut unless there’s a capable adult present.”
He is now taking the opportunity to help Rocco learn to swim and promised to never stop supervising his son, especially when there is a large body of water nearby.
“Us parents are stepping up our preventative measures including swim lessons but can’t stress enough, nothing is as effective as watching your kids very closely,” he said.
Reflecting on the incident, Passavanti said he felt like he was suddenly granted super powers to rescue Rocco.
The organization’s mission is to prevent drowning, near-drowning, and other water-related incidents in Palm Beach County through educating residents on water safety and basic rescue techniques.
“The AAP urges parents to be within an arm’s length when young children are around or in water,” the organization said, according to CNN. “Parents should avoid becoming distracted by other activities such as cellphone use or drinking alcohol [while] caregivers should also consider learning CPR, teaching their children water-safety skills, and putting life jackets on their kids.”
