Quick response saves local child in swimming accident at leisure centre | Local news

Thanks to the quick action of local lifeguards, a life was saved this week: a young boy was rescued after he had a dangerous accident during recreational play at the Cut Off Youth Center Pool.

Last Wednesday, several parents alerted the Gazette to a possible incident during recreational activities.

The Cut Off Youth Center immediately confirmed that a boy had been flown out of the facility and was on his way to a hospital in the New Orleans area.

Youth center director and Lafourche Town Councilwoman D’Lynn Chiasson told the Gazette at the time that the boy was responsive and that the lifeguard on duty at the time immediately pulled the child from the water when he noticed he was in trouble.

According to COYC, the boy was never unconscious and did not require resuscitation. He swallowed water but then vomited it when he was taken out of the pool, and the lifeguard had him out of the water in less than a minute.

“I know my lifeguards did what they were trained to do,” she said.

Fortunately, we can report that the quick response of the lifeguards and recreation staff at COYC helped turn what could have been a tragic incident into a situation where there appeared to be no serious injuries.

The Gazette knows the name and identity of the boy who had the water incident. We will not disclose his name as he is a minor. However, we have confirmed from the boy’s father that he was released from medical care less than 24 hours after the incident and is expected to make a full recovery.

The family said they will need to monitor the boy over the coming weeks in case he develops a lung infection after swallowing water from the pool. However, he is in good spirits and doctors are very confident it will not be an incident that will cause long-term problems.