Arizona toddler crawls through doggie door before drowning in backyard pool, police say

A young boy died after he fell into a pool at an Arizona home Monday afternoon and drowned, police say.

The Gilbert Police Department said they responded to a child drowning call at a home around 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 4.

Police said the boy, who was 1½ years old, exited the house into the backyard through a doggie door before falling into the unfenced pool.

"Life-saving measures were provided at the home before the child was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased a short time later," police said in a news release.

Gilbert PD say the investigation in the case is ongoing.

Drowning in young children not uncommon

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 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 death after motor vehicle crashes.

The CDC said there are about 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings every year in the United States, which is an average of 11 per day. There are about 8,000 nonfatal drownings each year, which is about 22 per day.

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Drowning prevention tips

Gilbert Fire and Rescue encourages pool owners and parents to following the ABCD's of drowning prevention:

• Adult supervision: At least one sober, undistracted adult should always be with children in and around the water. The adult should be fully focused on the child or children.
• Barriers: Barriers should be in place to prevent a child from accessing the pool. Barriers can include a fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate, door locks that children are unable to reach and door alarms. Dog doors should not have direct access to the pool and should be closed to prevent children from reaching the pool.
• Classes: Children should be enrolled in swimming lessons and taught how to get out of a pool. Adults should take CPR and lifesaving classes.
• Devices: Coast Guard-approved devices such as life vests are encouraged for those who cannot swim.