3-year-old Lincoln boy in critical but stable condition after near drowning

A three-year-old boy is in critical condition after a near drowning at backyard pool Sunday evening.

Lincoln Police said they got the call around 9 p.m. that a toddler was found in the family’s pool unresponsive near 32nd and Potter, just two blocks north of 33rd and Holdrege street.

Police said Monday morning CPR was done on the boy, and he was flown to Children’s Hospital in Omaha in critical but stable condition. 

Police said several adults were home at the time and the boy wasn’t seen for a few minutes before he was found in the pool. 

There have been no charges or citations at this time. 

The identity of the boy and his family have not been released. 

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This unfortunate incident has increased discussion about what steps parents can take to prevent going through such a tragedy.

Blake Collingsworth is the founder of the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation and Float for Life.

He says water safety is a conversation parents should have with their kids as early as possible.

“Really start that conversation as early as they can comprehend it. It’s no different than when we talk to children about looking both ways before crossing the street or don’t touch the stove, it’s hot. Water needs to be a part of that educational conversation we have with our children,” said Collingsworth.

The Collingsworth family lost their two and a half year old son, Joshua, 11 years ago to a similar backyard pool drowning.

Ever since then, Collingsworth has been promoting the importance of water safety.

“We’re losing children aged 1 to 4. It’s the number one cause of unintentional cause of death to children ages 1 to 4. And we need to prepare children better than we are.” said Collingsworth.

Collingsworth is the vice president of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, which advocates for world wide water safety for children.

He says infant water training is something that can save preventable deaths from happening.

“I truly believe if we would have had this when Joshua was 2 & 1/2, that he’d still be with us,” said Collingsworth.

The recently opened Float for Life infant water training center gives parents an opportunity to educate their toddlers on how to float on their backs like an otter if they ever get into a bad situation.

“It puts them into a position of, ‘Hey I’ve fallen in the water and I can hold my breath and I can float on my back and grab the side of the pool,” said Collingsworth.

Collingsworth hopes that Float for Life and Josh the Water Otter can start a generational shift for parents to get their toddlers water safety training at a younger age.

Even if it means just having a conversation with them at home.

He doesn’t want another family to go through what his had to.

“Drownings are preventable, and we are doing as much as we can to hopefully keep families from having to go through this,” said Collingsworth.

Lincoln police is conducting an investigation to get to the bottom of what happened.

The three year old boy is still in critical condition at the Omaha Children’s Hospital.

If you’d like to learn more about Float for Life, head to https://joshtheotter.org or https://www.float4life.org.