kdorian ([info]kdorian) wrote in [info]little_details,
2010-06-28 22:25:00
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Drowning: Information post

Apologies if this is a duplicate; I've not been reading my flist lately and missed if this has been posted.

Article on what drowning really looks like/what to watch for, as opposed to the Hollywood version of thrashing and screaming for help.

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Article includes information on "The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water," which is so far from what people expect to see that "of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC)."

ETA: The first link doesn't seem to work for some people; the same information is mirrored here. (With thanks to [info]dynapink  and [info]annoyedwabbit)
Tags: retag99, ~resources

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  • 31 comments

[info]uozaki

June 29 2010, 04:30:16 UTC 1 year ago

That's really helpful for me, thanks!

[info]threnody

June 29 2010, 04:34:05 UTC 1 year ago

Having nearly drowned several times (it's a wonder I get into the freaking bathtub), I heartily agree with this info. Most of the times it's happened, I've only managed to *not* drown because I was in the ocean and the waves pushed me forward enough that I could get decent footing and keep my head solidly above water.

[info]daystarsearcher

June 29 2010, 04:43:44 UTC 1 year ago

The link's not working for me.

[info]kdorian

June 30 2010, 11:34:02 UTC 1 year ago

Second link added!

[info]25lively

June 29 2010, 04:51:36 UTC 1 year ago

The link is not working for me, either.

[info]kdorian

June 30 2010, 11:34:10 UTC 1 year ago

Second link added!

[info]duckodeath

June 29 2010, 04:55:02 UTC 1 year ago

I'm getting a message from Norton that the page is unsafe.

[info]kdorian

June 30 2010, 11:34:22 UTC 1 year ago

Second link added!

[info]dynapink

June 29 2010, 05:05:48 UTC 1 year ago

Since that site is down, try this one instead. It's a copy-and-paste from the main site.


And yes, that's horrifyingly accurate, from what I remember when it happened to me at the age of seven or so.

[info]moonpupy

June 29 2010, 05:17:42 UTC 1 year ago

Having almost drowned twice, the descriptions of the drowning person are so familiar, especially the 'ladder climbing' motions. After literally climbing up the person next to me (on the boat ramp, not in deep water like me), he said he thought I was trying to swim.

Yeah. I don't go near deep water without a life-vest. (I won't tell you about the time our canoe rolled and our life-vests sunk.)

[info]annoyedwabbit

June 29 2010, 05:22:04 UTC 1 year ago

Yeah, the link seems to have died. I hunted around a bit, and found the article. Here's another link that I hope will work for people.

[info]subluxate

June 29 2010, 05:24:00 UTC 1 year ago

This is really helpful, but could you put the included information behind a cut, please? It could be really triggering for some people.

[info]kdorian

June 30 2010, 11:35:00 UTC 1 year ago

Done! Good thought, thank you.

[info]subluxate

June 30 2010, 18:24:17 UTC 1 year ago

Thank you. =)

[info]linear_flower

June 29 2010, 05:42:23 UTC 1 year ago

Yup that is pretty much what happened when my cousin nearly drowned when he was 6 or 7. One minute he was fine, next he was in the bottom of the pool.

He's fine now, by the way. :)

[info]redcoast

June 29 2010, 06:31:48 UTC 1 year ago

When I was about that age, a friend and I almost drowned in a pool like that. The adults were right there, but they didn't realize anything was wrong because one can't call for help when one is drowning.

[info]linear_flower

1 year ago

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[info]redcoast

1 year ago

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[info]emo_mz

June 29 2010, 08:05:00 UTC 1 year ago

As a trained lifeguard, I too can agree. Someone who makes lots of noise and splash might be at risk of drowning because they're probably a weak or distressed swimmer, but they're not drowning yet.

The other interesting thing I learned in my training is that there are actually three types of drowning, and the last one can happen up to 72 hours after the incident...

[info]sharraunna

June 29 2010, 17:15:51 UTC 1 year ago

Can you tell us a bit about that last one? I've never heard of it.

[info]emo_mz

1 year ago

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[info]ldymusyc

1 year ago

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[info]cmar_wingnut

1 year ago

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[info]sethg_prime

1 year ago

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[info]maegwin_of_hern

June 29 2010, 09:11:53 UTC 1 year ago

This is really helpful, I actually have one drowning scene in my story. Thanks a lot!

[info]shout_of_joy

June 29 2010, 11:13:57 UTC 1 year ago

Thanks for the link!

[info]pfmoi

June 29 2010, 16:37:32 UTC 1 year ago

That is scary as all hell--I've never had experience with drowning, so I didn't realize that at all. But now I will know.

[info]jennakayfrancis

June 29 2010, 16:46:45 UTC 1 year ago

Thank you. Most informative.

[info]asthecrowfly

June 29 2010, 18:56:07 UTC 1 year ago

Thank you!

As another one of the 'yup, have also drowned' people, I appreciate accurate representation. My last near-drowning was summer camp, when I was probably twelve or so. I remember diving into the water, I remember thinking, "I can't resurface, my leg is caught in this plant," and my next remotely clear memory is the lifeguard towing me to the dock and hoisting me out of the water. My mother's story of my childhood drowning (I was maybe five or so) always scared the Hell out of me--I was okay, and suddenly I was NOT okay, there was a lifeguard jumping into the water, running me back onto the beach, and doing everything they could as quickly as possible to check/clear my airways. Drowning is quiet and scary.

[info]unfeathered

June 29 2010, 20:18:14 UTC 1 year ago

As a parent of a four year old who can't swim yet, a huge thank you. I did not know any of that and I'm really glad I do now.

[info]burntcopper

June 29 2010, 20:33:47 UTC 1 year ago

eeep. that's...scarily like when you're really tired as a synchronised swimmer. a lot of us (having an absolute knowledge of how to keep bodies perpendicular in the water and also precisely how much/little effort you could use to keep yourself afloat, not that you were normally trying all that hard) would normally exhibit all those behaviours when tired or resting and we'd quite regularly let ourselves sink when we were bored. I have *no* idea how our coach would be able to tell the difference.

Thankyou for that.
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