Pulled from bottom of Carleton U pool, swimmer revived
A 14-year-old girl was pulled from the bottom of the swimming pool at Carleton University Saturday morning and was revived by lifeguards.
Paramedics described the girl as very lucky and praised the work of lifeguards. The girl was part of a synchronized swimming team that was practising at the pool.
Lifeguard Catherine Supple-Craig said she was watching from the deep end of the pool.
“I noticed that one of the swimmers was kind of lolling at the bottom of the pool,” she said.
“My heart just stopped. And one of her teammates saw her as well. So I blew my whistle, [and] went in the water," she added. "Luckily her teammate went down to grab her just as I was entering the water. So she didn’t spend too much time down there."
She said they pulled her out of the pool and started CPR and she was revived.
“The training just kind of kicked in," Supple-Craig said. "I was on autopilot. I felt very calm through the whole thing."
Supple-Craig said she has been a lifeguard for four years and is also a first-aid instructor.
By the time paramedics arrived, just six minutes after receiving a call, the girl was awake. However, her condition was still serious as she had ingested a significant amount of pool water.
“The lifeguards did a wonderful job, being very vigilant, and their action saved this girl’s life," paramedic Michael O’Brien said, noting she was alert and able to speak to paramedics.
They took her to the hospital where her condition had improved to stable. At last word, the teen was reported to be recovering from the ordeal and would remain in hospital for 24 hours, under observation.
