Police: 10-Year-Old Boy Hospitalized After Being Pulled From Pool, Needing CPR In West Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police say a 10-year-old boy is in the hospital after he was pulled out of a West Philadelphia pool Thursday afternoon. The question now turns to who did - or didn't - give the child CPR during critical moments.
Chopper 3 was over the scene at the Shepard Recreation Center in West Philadelphia.
Police say the boy was swimming in the pool when his father turned away for a minute, and he went under.
The boy was pulled out of the pool by the lifeguard, and police officers performed CPR on the child. Police say he started to breathe on his own.
Witnesses tell Eyewitness News conflicting reports on why police gave CPR and not the lifeguard. Some say lifeguards at the scene hesitated due to worries about COVID.
"They didn't want to do CPR because they didn't have the plastic piece," Rashida Wragg says, adding, "COVID is out when there is a child involved."
Another woman described her own role in the incident, saying someone also hopped in to assist.
"When [the lifeguard] started with compressions, I pulled the baby head up, I started mouth-to-mouth," Tracy Coulson told CBS3. "Another lady walked over, and she started mouth-to-mouth."
The boy was transported to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is currently in stable condition. The police department told Eyewitness News their "preliminary investigation shows that lifeguards administered CPR, both mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions."
"Safety in and around our public swimming pools is Philadelphia Parks & Recreation's primary focus each summer ... We are grateful to the dedicated lifeguards and pool staff whose training and vigilance is critical to pool safety," a statement by Parks and Recreation reads, in part.
The pool will remain closed for the rest of the night.
