North Carolina Couple Shares the Importance of Life-Saving Skills After 2-Year-Old Daughter Near Drowning Incident

North Carolina Couple Shares the Importance of Life-Saving Skills 2-Year-Old Daughter Drowning Incident

By Jackelyn Cornejo , Parent Herald Jun 21, 11:50 am

Photo: (Photo : DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images )

A couple from North Carolina currently faced a terrifying incident when their 2-year-old child nearly drowned in their backyard pool.

2-Year-Old Daughter Drowns in Backyard Pool

Surveillance footage released Tuesday by the Gastonia Police Department on X (formerly Twitter) shows Mila lying lifeless by the pool as her father and a family friend frantically performed CPR over Memorial weekend.

During an interview, Matthew Shortridge recounted how he had been supervising the children in the pool with other adults nearby. He briefly glanced away, only to hear his other daughter's distressing screams.

Mila had gone to the porch to see her mother, who removed her arm floaties before going to the restroom. A family friend took off Mila's life vest, and during the brief moment Matthew looked away, Mila re-entered the pool without her floatation devices.

His other daughter saw Mila floating with her head in the water and screamed. When they pulled Mila from the pool, she appeared "blue gray," was "not breathing," and was "lifeless."

Matthew and a family friend, a nurse, immediately began CPR while another relative called 911. After two and a half minutes, Mila began to breathe once more.

"I started to feel a lot more hopeful," Mila's mom, Amy Shortridge, said. She was still worried about Mila's neurological condition until she heard her daughter say, "Daddy." At that moment, she knew Mila was going to be okay.

Mila was taken to a hospital by paramedics and has since recovered. Matthew and Amy are now sharing their story to emphasize the importance of knowing life-saving skills for emergencies.

Matthew highlighted the significance of being prepared, "Make sure you know what to do in a situation to save a life. If you have a pool, or even if you don't and you're a parent, take CPR classes."

He also highlighted the necessity to stay composed and clear-headed in crisis.

Water Safety Tips to Avoid Drowning Incidents

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, drowning is the prominent cause of demise among kids ages 1 to 4 in the U.S., and drownings are rising among kids under 15. Therefore, it is important to have numerous layers of protection around water.

Dr. Sarah Denny, a pediatrics professor at Ohio State University and lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics "Prevention of Drowning Technical Report," shared seven tips for water safety:

Model safe behavior by wearing personal flotation devices.
Do not rely on water toys for safety.
Always guarantee constant and attentive supervision of kids around water.
Assure the pool is fenced with a self-closing, self-latching gate.
Enroll yourself and your kid in swim lessons.
Learn CPR to be prepared for emergencies.
Encourage kids to wear colorful colors to enhance perceptibility in the water.

Father Drowns After Rescuing His Children

A man from South River, New Jersey, passed away after saving his three kids, aged 8, 11, and 13, from the Millstone River, a tributary of the Raritan River.

The father lost his balance and disappeared into the river after bringing his anxious kids to shallow water. Authorities recovered his body three hours later.

This incident follows a trend of recent drownings involving adults saving children, including cases in Maine, Lake Michigan, Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey, and Lake Nockamixon, Pennsylvania.