Safety-obsessed mum’s split second mistake allowed 18 month old son to drown in garden pool when she left ‘doggy door’ open
A SAFETY-obsessed mother has spoken publicly about how a split-second mistake allowed her toddler son to drown in a pool. Jenny Bennett, an A&E nurse, found 18-month-old Jackson floating face down in the garden of her home in Texas, US. It is thought Jackson got into the garden through a dog door at the back […]
A SAFETY-obsessed mother has spoken publicly about how a split-second mistake allowed her toddler son to drown in a pool.
Jenny Bennett, an A&E nurse, found 18-month-old Jackson floating face down in the garden of her home in Texas, US.
It is thought Jackson got into the garden through a dog door at the back of the house and fell into the pool trying to reach one of his toys.
Jenny had always made sure there were two doors between her son and the pool and that the dog door was kept locked.
But on the day Jackson drowned, she had had to rush out of the house to pick up husband Adam after his truck broke down.
She opened the dog door on the way out of the house but forgot to lock it again on her return.
Speaking to CNN about the experience, Jenny said: “We understood a doggy door was a risk for him to make it to the pool.
“We made it very clear that the dog door remains locked.
“There was a lapse in supervision.
“We thought he was safe upstairs with his sisters.”
Jackson was declared dead after four days on life support.
His mum says he had had some swimming lessons, but they didn’t include survival techniques like rolling on the back to stay afloat.
She also says she should have done more, and that there should have been a fence around the pool.
‘JACKSON’S GOING TO BE IMPORTANT’
After two years processing what had happened, Bennett founded national campaign group Parents Preventing Childhood Drowning, which now promotes water safety and drowning prevention.
“People automatically assume it happens to bad or neglectful parents,” she said.
“I’ve already lost a part of my heart.
“We thought he was so special. There was just something about him.
“I thought he was going to be really important some day.”
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Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children aged one to four in the United States, with most drownings occurring in home swimming pools.
From 2005 to 2014, the country saw an average of ten unintentional drownings over all age groups every day.
Worldwide, drowning is the third leading cause of injury-related death.
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