2-Year-Old Girl Drowns In Long Island Pool

EAST ISLIP, NY – A 2-year-old girl drowned in a backyard pool on Long Island Friday evening, police said.

According to Suffolk Police, Third Precinct officers responded to a home on Percy Williams Drive in East Islip at about 5:50 p.m. after a woman called 911 to report that she had pulled her 2-year-old granddaughter, Galaxy Belenger, from the home’s in-ground pool and the child wasn't not breathing.

The grandmother performed CPR until officers and rescue personnel arrived. Galaxy was transported by Islip Exchange Ambulance to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore where she was pronounced dead.

According to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boating related) from 2005 to 2014; that's about 10 deaths per day.

Children ages 1 to 4 are the most at risk for drowning, and the deaths most often occur at home swimming pools, data shows. Drowning kills more children ages 1 to 4 than any other cause except congenital anomalies, the CDC says.

The CDC offers these drowning prevention tips for children/parents:

Supervise—A responsible adult should watch children while they are playing in or around water. For preschool-age children, supervisors should be close enough to reach the child at all times. Adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity— like reading, playing cards, talking, or mowing the lawn— while supervising children, even if lifeguards are present.

Swimming Skills— formal swimming lessons help reduce the risk of drowning among children ages 1 to 4.

Learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation— CPR performed by bystanders saves lives and improves outcomes in drowning victims. The sooner CPR is started, the better chance the victim has of an improved outcome.

Secure The Area— For those with swimming pools at home, they should install a four-sided pool fence at least 4 feet high that completely separates the pool from the house and yard. There should be self-closing and self-latching gates that open outward with latches out of reach of children. Additional barriers are encouraged, such as automatic door locks and alarms to prevent access and to alert adults if someone enters the pool area. Pool owners should also clear the pool and deck of toys after use so children are not tempted to enter the pool area unsupervised.

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