Randall Cunningham’s 2-year-old drowns

Christian Cunningham, age 2, son of ex-NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, was found unresponsive in a backyard hot tub. An unidentified woman at the house with several other children found the boy about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and began trying to resuscitate him. He died a short time later at a Las Vegas hospital. Police are calling the death accidental.

Summer is once again upon us, making it important to review some important information about drowning from Safekids.org:

Key Facts
• Each year, more than 830 children ages 14 and under die as a result of unintentional drowning.
• On average, an annual 3,600 injuries occur to children due to a near-drowning incident.
• Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death among children ages 1 to 4 years and children 10 to 14 years. For infants less than 1 year, drowning is the third leading cause of death.
• In 2006, near-drowning incidents in the pool were responsible for 3,703 injuries to children less than 5 years of age.

Where, When and How
• Home swimming pools are the most common site for a drowning to occur
for a child between the ages 1 to 4 years.
• According to a national study of drowning-related incidents involving children, a parent or caregiver claimed to be supervising the child in nearly 9 out of 10 child drowning-related deaths.
• In the summer, between May and August, drowning deaths among children increase 89 percent over the rest of the year.
• Approximately 75 percent of pool submersion deaths and 60 percent of pool submersion injuries occur at a home
• 16 percent of drowning deaths in children under 5 years of age are at a family or friend’s pool while 17 percent of deaths occur at a public, community or neighbor pool.

Pool Submersion Locations for Deaths to Children ages 0-5 (2002-2004)

• The majority of infant (less than 1 year old) drowning deaths happen in bathtubs, buckets or toilets.
• Recreational boating accidents caused 11 drowning deaths in 2004; more than half of the children were not wearing personal flotation devices or life jackets.

Who
• Children ages 4 and under have the highest drowning death rate (two times greater than other age groups) and account for 80 percent of home drownings.
• Male children have a drowning rate twice that of female children.
• Black children ages 5 to 14 have a drowning rate three times that of their white counterparts.
• Low-income children are at greater risk from non-swimming pool drownings.

Proven Interventions
• Four-sided isolation fencing around home pools could prevent 50 percent to 90 percent of childhood drownings and near-drownings. When used properly, door alarms, pool alarms and automatic pool covers, add an extra layer of protection.
• From 1999 to 2003, it is estimated that 85 percent of boating-related drownings could have been prevented if the victim had been wearing a personal flotation device. In 2003, 62 percent of children ages 14 and under who drowned in reported recreational boating accidents were not wearing PFDs or life jackets.
• Educational efforts focused on PFDs and safe boating practices are effective in increasing PFD usage.

For more information: