Mumbai: Timely help saves drowning teen in Dadar

The ambulance that is stationed on the Dadar facility’s premises

The ambulance stationed outside the Dadar pool helped save the life of a 17-year-old member on Saturday. mid-day, in a recent series of articles, highlighted the lack of safety measures at civic-run swimming pools and showed how such facilities can save life and limb.

Around 9.45 pm, the teenager was spotted by a lifeguard in an unconscious state in the 18-foot-deep pool after accidentally slipping and hitting his chin on a corner of the deck.

Staffers and members rushed the boy to Hinduja Hospital in the ambulance stationed outside the pool. His father told mid-day that had the ambulance not been there, the teen would not be alive. The boy, who was admitted at Hinduja Hospital, is on the ventilator and is said to be critical as water had entered his lungs. The Shivaji Park police rushed to the hospital after being informed of the incident by the pool management and took stock of the situation.

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Olympic Swimming Pool

mid-day's series highlighted how the members of the BMC's popular pools suffer due to a lack of important safety measures and equipment such as first aid kits, stretchers and ambulance services. When this newspaper visited eight civic swimming pools across the city, only two had ambulances and a doctor on hand.

The victim is a resident of Mahim. After his summer vacation, he and his younger brother signed up to use the Shivaji Park-based Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Olympic Swimming Pool. The teen's father told mid-day that the truth will come out only after his son recovers because he was the only witness to what had exactly happened.

Also Read: Mumbai: Did you know? BMC takes no responsibility for swimming pool mishaps

He added, "Both my sons became members of the facility a few days ago. On Saturday, when the 17-year-old was walking towards the lockers, he slipped and fell into the pool. He received injuries to the chin and lost consciousness. A lifeguard immediately jumped into the water and rescued him."

"My other son was in another pool and when a crowd gathered at the accident spot, he saw lifeguards administering CPR to his brother. My son was rushed to the ambulance on a stretcher. Inside the vehicle, a doctor administered CPR and first aid. Due to this, he was saved," the
father stated.

Doctors conducted an MRI on Thursday to check if any brain damage had occurred. The report is yet to be released. The doctors are trying their best to save the victim.

The father stated, "The lifeguard told me what had happened. I don't have any option but to believe the pool staff but once my son recovers, I will ask him what happened."

He also thanked the BMC and pool authorities for ensuring that the facility had safety measures, which proved crucial to his son's survival. However, no such facilities are available at the most civic-run pools in the city as, according to the BMC, the cost of retaining them is too high.

Asked about the incident, a BMC spokesperson said, "The boy was rescued immediately by a lifeguard after he came out of the learners' pool. An 108 ambulance was stationed at the spot and a doctor administered first aid after which the boy opened his eyes. We inform every new joiner during the admission process not to swim in the deep end if they have no knowledge about swimming. We also keep instruction boards outside our pools."

April 29
Day incident occurred