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At least nine drown over civic holiday weekend
GEOFF NIXON
August 8, 2007
The long, hot days of summer see more people hitting lakes, pools and rivers, and subsequently more drownings, often in accidents that could have been prevented.
Over the civic holiday weekend alone, at least nine people drowned nationwide.
"Unfortunately, I'm not surprised," Barbara Byers, public education director of the Lifesaving Society, said of the number of weekend drowning deaths.
"What's sad about it, is that most of these are preventable and that many people just don't realize the risks and aren't quite aware of what they can do to reduce the chances of drowning," she said.
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The weekend deaths include two young girls and seven adult men who drowned in separate incidents:
On Saturday, a three-year-old girl drowned in an inflatable pool in her backyard in Stoney Creek, Ont., near Hamilton, in the early evening.
Earlier that same day, 56-year-old Bernard Morneau of Victoria was found unconscious on the banks of the Athabasca River after his canoe overturned. A 24-year-old Hamilton man also died early Saturday after jumping into a closed swimming pool at a motel in Sauble Beach, Ont. Police said Bruno Laranjeiro, who was in the pool with several people, didn't know how to swim.
On Sunday, a 39-year-old man drowned after falling off a log in a provincial park near Chilliwack, B.C.
On Monday, a five-year-old girl from Hamilton drowned at a conservation area swimming pool in Dunnville, Ont., during a church picnic.
There were two other deaths the same day in Ontario: A man drowned in Musselman Lake just north of Stouffville, Ont., and 19-year-old Lucas Tinsley drowned at a provincial park northeast of Lake Simcoe.
The body of Calgary's Scott Grimes, 26, was found in Alberta's Clearwater River on Monday. He was last seen on July 29 when he was swept away from a group of fellow swimmers.
RCMP suspect alcohol was a factor in the feared drowning of a 19-year-old man in a provincial park near Moose Jaw in the early hours of yesterday morning. The man had been swimming with a group of young people when he apparently got pulled into the current, police said. He has not been seen since.
The body of 55-year-old Tony Wong was pulled from Chemong Lake near Peterborough, Ont., yesterday by police divers. He had been fishing with his family Monday and went into the water without a lifejacket.
For children's water safety, Ms. Byers said it is important for them to learn swimming skills, but they also need to be closely supervised.
Ms. Byers added that a drowning can occur without drawing a lot of attention from nearby swimmers, and can happen much more quickly than some would think.
"Parents don't realize how quickly a person can drown, how quiet it is," she said. "Unlike what we may have seen from old movies where people are waving their arms and screaming ... that's not what happens.
"Most people, you don't hear anything," she said. "They just get a gulp of water, another gulp of water and then it's over in 30 seconds."
And parents can be vulnerable too: In the two weeks before the holiday weekend, two fathers were killed in tragic accidents while trying to save their children from drowning.
On Aug. 1, a 44-year-old Quebec man drowned while saving his teenage son from undercurrents at Cavendish Beach National Park in Prince Edward Island. In a similar incident only days before, a 47-year-old father of three from Vancouver drowned while trying to save his 10-year-old son who ran into trouble while swimming in Lake Superior.
In both cases, the children survived but their fathers died.
In general, Ms. Byers said, of the few hundred drowning cases that happen each summer, many can be prevented by people taking better stock of their surroundings: The danger comes when people ignore the risks of their swimming environments or overestimate their swimming abilities.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
At least nine drown over civic holiday weekend
GEOFF NIXON
August 8, 2007
The long, hot days of summer see more people hitting lakes, pools and rivers, and subsequently more drownings, often in accidents that could have been prevented.
Over the civic holiday weekend alone, at least nine people drowned nationwide.
"Unfortunately, I'm not surprised," Barbara Byers, public education director of the Lifesaving Society, said of the number of weekend drowning deaths.
"What's sad about it, is that most of these are preventable and that many people just don't realize the risks and aren't quite aware of what they can do to reduce the chances of drowning," she said.
Print Edition - Section Front
Enlarge Image
More National Stories
After years of near-extinction, the whacky Rhino party is back
Canadian pair held by Chinese for Tibet protest at Great Wall
Plane hits Alaska home, 4 aboard killed
At least nine drown over civic holiday weekend
Death of Canadian at actor's home a mystery
B.C. parties clash over derailments
Go to the National section
The weekend deaths include two young girls and seven adult men who drowned in separate incidents:
On Saturday, a three-year-old girl drowned in an inflatable pool in her backyard in Stoney Creek, Ont., near Hamilton, in the early evening.
Earlier that same day, 56-year-old Bernard Morneau of Victoria was found unconscious on the banks of the Athabasca River after his canoe overturned. A 24-year-old Hamilton man also died early Saturday after jumping into a closed swimming pool at a motel in Sauble Beach, Ont. Police said Bruno Laranjeiro, who was in the pool with several people, didn't know how to swim.
On Sunday, a 39-year-old man drowned after falling off a log in a provincial park near Chilliwack, B.C.
On Monday, a five-year-old girl from Hamilton drowned at a conservation area swimming pool in Dunnville, Ont., during a church picnic.
There were two other deaths the same day in Ontario: A man drowned in Musselman Lake just north of Stouffville, Ont., and 19-year-old Lucas Tinsley drowned at a provincial park northeast of Lake Simcoe.
The body of Calgary's Scott Grimes, 26, was found in Alberta's Clearwater River on Monday. He was last seen on July 29 when he was swept away from a group of fellow swimmers.
RCMP suspect alcohol was a factor in the feared drowning of a 19-year-old man in a provincial park near Moose Jaw in the early hours of yesterday morning. The man had been swimming with a group of young people when he apparently got pulled into the current, police said. He has not been seen since.
The body of 55-year-old Tony Wong was pulled from Chemong Lake near Peterborough, Ont., yesterday by police divers. He had been fishing with his family Monday and went into the water without a lifejacket.
For children's water safety, Ms. Byers said it is important for them to learn swimming skills, but they also need to be closely supervised.
Ms. Byers added that a drowning can occur without drawing a lot of attention from nearby swimmers, and can happen much more quickly than some would think.
"Parents don't realize how quickly a person can drown, how quiet it is," she said. "Unlike what we may have seen from old movies where people are waving their arms and screaming ... that's not what happens.
"Most people, you don't hear anything," she said. "They just get a gulp of water, another gulp of water and then it's over in 30 seconds."
And parents can be vulnerable too: In the two weeks before the holiday weekend, two fathers were killed in tragic accidents while trying to save their children from drowning.
On Aug. 1, a 44-year-old Quebec man drowned while saving his teenage son from undercurrents at Cavendish Beach National Park in Prince Edward Island. In a similar incident only days before, a 47-year-old father of three from Vancouver drowned while trying to save his 10-year-old son who ran into trouble while swimming in Lake Superior.
In both cases, the children survived but their fathers died.
In general, Ms. Byers said, of the few hundred drowning cases that happen each summer, many can be prevented by people taking better stock of their surroundings: The danger comes when people ignore the risks of their swimming environments or overestimate their swimming abilities.更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net