Wallkill police investigate 8-year-old child's drowning in backyard pool

Mike Randall, Times Herald-Record
·2 min read

WALLKILL — An 8-year-old child drowned in a pool in the town of Wallkill on Sunday night.

A 40-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition in the same incident.

Wallkill police said officers responded to a residence on Fair Oaks Road around 8 p.m. Sunday.

There they found the child unresponsive in the pool.

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The man was lying in the grass next to the pool.

Both were taken to Garnet Health Medical Center, where the child was pronounced dead and the man was admitted in critical condition. Police have not revealed the child's identity.

Wallkill police detectives are being assisted by state police in their investigation.

Here are some tips for pool and swimming safety from the Office of Children and Family Services:

  • Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch children closely around all bodies of water.

  • Designate a “water watcher” to supervise children in the pool or spa. This person should not be reading, texting, using a smartphone or otherwise distracted. Adults can take turns being the water watcher.

  • Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.

  • Have a telephone close by when you or your family are using a pool or spa.

  • Have lifesaving equipment such as life rings, floats or a reaching pole available and easily accessible.

  • If a child is missing, look for him or her in the pool or spa first.

  • Share safety instructions with family, friends and neighbors.

  • Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim.

  • Teach children basic water safety rules and make sure they are followed.

  • Understand the basics of life-saving and CPR so that you can assist in a pool emergency.

  • Install a 4-foot or taller fence around the perimeter of the pool and spa and use self-closing and self-latching gates; ask your neighbors to do the same at their pools.

  • Install and use a lockable safety cover on your spa.

  • If your house serves as a fourth side of a fence around a pool, install and use a door or pool alarm. New York state has standards for pool alarms and fences.

  • Maintain pool and spa covers in good working order.

  • Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal standards, and, if you do not know, ask your pool service provider whether your covers are in compliance.

  • For more pool safety advice, visit the state Department of Health website at health.ny.gov.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Poughkeepsie Journal, Times Herald-Record and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@gannett.com or on Twitter @MikeRandall845.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Child drowns in backyard pool on Fair Oaks Road in Wallkill