1 minute
Keep kids safe around water this Memorial Day
Twenty children have drowned in Texas this year
Memorial Day to Labor Day is the most dangerous time of the year for child drownings.
With thousands of families planning to spend the Memorial Day weekend by swimming pools, lakes and beaches, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) urges parents and caregivers to keep a constant watch on children when they're around water, especially young children. Most toddlers who drown are out of their caregiver’s sight less than five minutes. Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death for kids under the age of 5.
Most child drownings happen in backyard or apartment swimming pools. Children also drown in ponds, rivers, lakes, coastal waters, drainage ditches, creeks, bathtubs, and anywhere there is water. Statewide, pool drownings have accounted for 14 deaths. Four children drowned in a bathtub or hot tub, one child drowned in a lake and one child drowned at a beach.
The Greater Houston area leads the state with seven child drownings so far this year: