The province of Manitoba is once again at the top of the list for drowning deaths for children up to four years old.
The Lifesaving Society of Manitoba released their 2018 drowning report on Wednesday, finding 12 per cent of all drowning deaths in the province were children in that young age group. Experts say tragedy can strike in the time it takes to send a text message.
“One hundred per cent water-related fatalities involving children had absent or inadequate supervision as a factor,” said flight nurse Sarah Painter with STARS Air Ambulance. “If you are not within arms reach, you have gone too far and the time that it takes to send a text message could be all that it takes.”
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon at Birds Hill Provincial Park, many parents were on their cell phones snapping pictures and sending messages.
Kayla Gray is a mom of three boys. She said she’s careful to watch her children at the beach.
“Everybody is living in the social media and wanting to get their best shot so I can definitely see that. If you look around the amount of people on their phones right now,” she said.
“It’s usually for a quick picture and that’s it. I’m not really the one to browse Instagram and Facebook, not at the beach at least.”
Seventy-seven per cent of all drowning deaths that happen in the province take place at lakes, ponds and rivers.
Parent Laura Kusyk said she knows the risks and is careful.
“We know what to look for,” she said.
“We don’t take our eyes off our kids as much as we can. We have three kids, 3-years-old and younger, so it’s harder than it seems but I wouldn’t come here by myself if it’s too much of a handful.”
A quarter of all drowning deaths were people aged 20-34, and 10 per cent were for teenagers aged 15-19.
Experts say all drowning deaths are preventable and are reminding parents to keep their children within reach and to use life jackets.