Man suffers fatal heart attack, girl injured in Fort Worth pool, according to reports
A 65-year-old man suffered a fatal heart attack while swimming and his granddaughter was critically injured Friday in a Fort Worth community pool, according to police and a news report.
The two, who authorities did not identify, were taken to local hospitals, but family members told KTVT-TV that the man died.
MedStar officials noted crews have responded to four drowning calls in a week — one died in Lake Worth and three were critically injured.
Firefighters and paramedics responded to Friday’s drowning call shortly before noon in the 4200 block of Starburst Drive.
KTVT-TV reported the man suffered a heart attack while he was swimming with his two granddaughters. One child made it out safely while a 4-year-old granddaughter went underwater.
She was taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center.
On Monday morning, a dive team found the body of a woman who went missing in Lake Worth Sunday afternoon. A man was critically injured in the same incident.
A woman also drowned in a community lake in Arlington this week.
MedStar officials offered these safety swimming tips for the summer:
▪ Learn to swim and teach your children to swim. Enroll in age-appropriate water orientation and learn-to-swim courses, as well as first aid and CPR courses.
▪ Supervise children whenever they are around water even if lifeguards are present. Momentary distractions such as phone calls, using the restroom, or someone at the door can provide enough time for a child to access the pool and quietly slip under water. If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers.
▪ If you have a pool, secure it with appropriate barriers. Many children who drown in home pools were out of sight for less than five minutes and in the care of one or both parents at the time. Install a four-sided barrier, such as a fence with self-closing gates completely surrounding the pool.
▪ Practice safe habits in and around the water. Teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
The Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition has resources for water safety and drowning prevention: https://fwdpc.org/.
For more information and drowning prevention tips, visit: https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/tools-resources/seasonal-safety/drowning
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 1:34 PM.
