Newday: Nanny drowns in Syosset pool trying to save boy, 3

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04 Jul 2008

BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY AND LAURA RIVERA | zachary.dowdy@news

July 4, 2008

A live-in nanny in Syosset died yesterday after she jumped into a backyard swimming pool to rescue a 3-year-old boy in her care who was struggling to stay afloat, Nassau police said.

Authorities did not release the name of the woman, whom they described as in her 60s. She was pronounced dead at Syosset Hospital. The medical examiner will do an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

She died as she tried to help the boy, who was wearing a life vest although it may have slipped off him before he began floundering in the pool at 12 Flo Dr., said Nassau police spokesman Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone.

"It's possible that the 3-year-old child removed his jacket and got into the pool," Repalone said. "And the nanny, in an attempt to save that child, jumped into the pool."

Investigators said the pool had a deep end but did not specify its depth. Authorities said they were unsure whether the woman could swim.

When the boy's mother heard the commotion through a second-floor window, she ran downstairs and managed to grab the boy, who was unconscious, and scream for help, police said.

The child was also taken to Syosset Hospital, where he was evaluated and transported to Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park. A hospital spokeswoman said last night he was in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit.

"Children can be very quick," Repalone said. "They just slip past you and in this particular case it sounds like the child was able to get into the pool very quickly."

Syosset Fire Commissioner Roy Brouillard said he was four blocks away when he heard the call over the radio and rushed to the house, where he and volunteer fireman Doug Share found the mother holding her child on the couch.

"Right away I could see the child wasn't breathing," Brouillard said. "The child was blue."

After performing CPR and using a mask to force air into the toddler's lungs, the boy began to breathe on his own, Brouillard said.

Then Share ran to the backyard, where he said he helped a police officer and another man pull the nanny out of the pool. Share determined she was in cardiac arrest.

The accident rattled residents of the quiet community, some of whom gathered at the edge of the area police had cordoned off, peering down the street.

"It's such a tragedy, what just happened," said Mariann Colleran, who lives near the home and walked by with her son, Conor, 10.

Christina Mackley, who has a 4-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son, said she had wanted to install a pool on her property, but yesterday's accident scared her out of it.

"They're nice to have on hot days like this, but it's sad when things like this happen," Mackley said.

Elizabeth Incantalupo, another neighbor, said, "From what I saw, she was a great nanny and a nice person."

Staff writer Laura Rivera contributed to this story.

SAFETY TIPS

Here are some safety tips for your backyard pool:

Install four-sided fencing with self-locking and self-closing gates. Fencing should completely isolate the pool from the home and be at least 5 feet high. Keep gates closed and latched.

Maintain constant adult supervision around any body of water, including pools and spas. Never leave your child alone or in the care of another child.

When hosting a pool party, assign specific adults to keep an eye on the pool at all times.

Enroll non-swimmers in swimming lessons taught by a qualified instructor.

Children should always be supervised by an adult while swimming.

Never swim alone. Goes for adults, too.

Learn and practice basic lifesaving techniques, including first aid and CPR. Insist that anyone who cares for your children learn CPR.

Keep poolside rescue equipment close to the pool area at all times, and bring a cordless, water-resistant telephone outside while using the pool.

SOURCE: Home Safety Council

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-linann045751519jul04,0,3593065.story

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