Alabama ranks 6th in child drowning incidents

TUSCALOOSA, Ala, (WBRC) - If you have children who love to swim, here’s something you want to keep in mind. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Alabama ranks 6th in the country for children drowning in swimming pools.

That same study by the CDC says there’ve been 45 pool drownings in the last four years in Alabama involving children 5 years old and younger.

Swimming is all part of the summer fun but there is an inherent danger if the child hasn’t learned how to swim. Mark Harrison is the aquatic director for the Tuscaloosa County Recreation Authority. Harrison says the earlier the better in getting swimming lessons for a child and PARA offers free lessons through its ‘Swim To The Top’ program every summer.

“Alabama does have a high rate of aquatic incidents. We do have a lot of water running through the state and we have a lot of standing water and a lot of open water and there are a large number of kids that don’t know how to swim in Alabama. One of the biggest safety things we can do is teach our kids how to swim,” said Harrison.

PARA says those free lessons are over for this summer but will offer them again next summer. However, fee-based swim lessons are available throughout the year.

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