How Water Safety Tips Can Save Lives

Blake Collingsworth never wanted to be the person reminding people it can happen to them

. Water Safety and Early Childhood Education is so important for everybody to know. That all it takes is one second, and your child can slip out of your sight. "Everybody thinks they know, but they've got to remind themselves over and over," he said. "It's amazing, with kids, how fast it can happen." Collingsworth's two-and-a-half year old son, Joshua, wandered outside Sunday evening during a family get-together at the Collingsworth home near Wilderness Ridge. His family had barely had time to realize he had slipped away when they found him floating in the backyard pool. Joshua was not breathing, and family members gave him CPR until an ambulance arrived to rush him to BryanLGH Medical Center West. He was flown by medical helicopter to Children's Hospital in Omaha, where he died Wednesday evening, surrounded by family. Joshua was "the happiest, prettiest little boy I've ever seen in my life," his father said. He adored his older brother, Connor, who turns seven this month, and Connor was very protective of Joshua. "Josh wanted to do anything his brother did," Collingsworth said. "If Connor jumped off a rock, Joshua would be climbing up that rock." Joshua was fortunate to have a large extended family with lots of cousins the same age. One set of grandparents live next door and the other pair live two blocks away. Family had been over at the house swimming on Sunday, Collingsworth said. Everyone had just gotten out of the pool and gone inside to eat when they noticed Joshua wasnt there. Collingsworth, who was upstairs in his home office, heard his wife, Kathy, call to him to ask if hed seen Joshua, he recalled. Seconds later, I heard her scream and all hell broke loose, he said. When the family first decided to put in a pool, Collingsworth didnt spare any expense on safety, he said. He always made sure the pool was covered and the gate was shut when no one was swimming. I felt like we had taken every precaution we could take, he said. More people had been on their way over to swim, and Collingsworth, who was inside, didnt realize everyone had gotten out of the pool, he said. Joshua always wore a life preserver around the pool, and he was not likely to jump in or be a daredevil, his father said. He got too close and slipped in, is the only thing I can think of, he said. There are so many what-ifs, but thats not important, Collingsworth said. Its not a question of who didnt shut the door .... theres so many shoulda-coulda-wouldas, he said. When they say it only takes a minute, theyre not lying. It is the hope of Blake Collingsworth and the other nationwide supporters of the Joshua Collingsworth Memorial Foundation that Joshua's death, though tragic, would help save other children's lives. Through Early Childhood Educational Materials about Water Safety, our mission and goal is to prevent EVERY infant drowning and show how so many of these deaths can be prevented. With your help and cooperation, we will continue to educate and save lives around the world. For more information on how you can help, please visit our website at www.joshuamemorial.org or www.joshtheotter.org Thank you so much for your time.

How Water Safety Tips Can Save Lives

By: Blake Collingsworth

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