Three-year-old revived after going under at Feldkirch pool

A three-year-old boy was revived after going under in a pool at the Waldbad Feldkirch swimming pool on Tuesday, ORF reported. He had reached the pool via a water slide while unsupervised and immediately sank because he was not wearing swimming aids.

An alert bather found the boy motionless and unconscious and pulled him from the water, police said. A lifeguard, two doctors and a nurse performed resuscitation, and the boy regained consciousness within minutes.

He was taken to Feldkirch Regional Hospital for medical checks and monitored for several hours. There were no indications that he had suffered lasting health problems.

Parents remain responsible for supervision

In public swimming pools, parents or accompanying adults remain responsible for supervising children, even when lifeguards are present. Pool staff are not responsible for monitoring individual children.

Young children and non-swimmers must be supervised continuously and directly at the water. Buying a ticket creates a contract between the swimmer and the operator, but does not automatically transfer supervision duties to pool staff.

Swimming aids and smartphones can create risks

Swimming aids such as armbands and vests can give a false sense of security and are not a substitute for personal supervision, swimming pools warn. Looking at a smartphone is particularly dangerous, as children can get into trouble quietly and within seconds.

Silent drowning can go unnoticed even when adults are nearby because the body reacts instinctively and the vocal cords can tighten.

The level of supervision required depends on factors including a child’s age, development and swimming ability. Courts assess whether supervision was adequate on a case-by-case basis. If a breach of the duty of supervision is proven, supervisors may face charges of negligently causing serious bodily harm, depending on the severity of the accident, and prison sentences may be possible.

According to Statistics Austria, drowning is the second most common fatal accident cause among children aged five to 14 in Austria. For children under five, it is the most common cause of death. Most fatal accidents still occur in road traffic.