WICHITA, Kansas - It was a story that made national headlines, when ten-year-old Johnny Jackson died from swallowing too much pool water. While it may sound like an urban legend, dry drowning is very real and sometimes goes unnoticed.
"We physically walked home," Johnny's mother Cassandra Jackson said. "He walked with me. I bathed him, and he told me he was sleepy."
Jackson says her son was tired and wanted to nap. It was not alarming since he had just swam all afternoon. Jackson checked on her son an hour later.
"I went into the room, walked over to the bed, and his face was literally covered with spongy white material, and I screamed," Jackson said.
"I pulled his arm, and I said, 'Johnny, Johnny,' but there was no response," family friend Christine Meekins said. "I opened one of his eyelids, and I just knew in my heart it was something really bad."
An autopsy found Johnny Jackson had drowned, despite being out of the water for more than an hour.
"Yes it concerns me, because my kids are in the pool almost 24 hours a day almost," Wichita mother Lynn Eby said. "I've never heard of it, so it makes me a little nervous now."
Dry drownings account for about 10 to 15 percent of all drownings nationwide. So, what do you do to prevent it? KSN medical expert Dr. Tanna Goering says you first need to understand how dry drowning happens.
First, a child may aspirate a small amount of water into the lung, which then causes irritation. That irritation could eventually close the airway. Also, holding your breath underwater can cause a spasm, forcing fluid into the lung from the surrounding tissue.
"Once that mechanism is triggered, where that fluid begins to enter the lung tissue it can take a while," Dr. Goering said. "It can be a slow process, so you definitely have to be watchful."
Symptoms of a dry drowning include trouble breathing after getting out of the water, extreme fatigue, and confusion. Dr. Goering says if you notice these symptoms, you should closely monitor your children.
"If they're not having any difficulty breathing, if they are running around playing, very interactive they're probably going to be okay," Dr. Goering said. "However, if you have a child that is sitting on the edge of the pool, and doesn't want to run and play with the other kids, and says I want to go and take a nap, then that's the child that needs to be checked out."
Dry drowning is a little known danger of summer fun, but a danger that can be life threatening to your child.
