Babysitter found unresponsive in pool after 4-year-old calls 911
A 20-year-old woman remains in life-threatening condition in hospital on Saturday after she was found unresponsive in a backyard swimming pool in Newmarket, Ont., on Friday.
York Regional Police said a four-year-old girl at the residence in the area of Davis Drive and Leslie Street called 911 just before 5 p.m.
Insp. Russ Bellman of York Regional Police said the girl reported that the babysitter had gone into the deep end of the pool.
"Certainly, she was sharp enough to quickly call 911 when she realized that her babysitter was in trouble, and that prompted a very fast response from emergency services," he said.
Bellman said police were able to locate the address quickly through 911 technology.
"With the 911 features, we were able to determine what her address was right away, so that wasn't an issue for us," he said.
The woman's condition has not changed since Friday and next of kin have been notified. She is at the Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket. Her name has not been released.
The child, who was not injured, was the only one in her care.
"It's a sad, unfortunate accident."
On Friday, police said members of Central York Fire Services were the first to arrive at the home and that a firefighter dove into the pool to pull the woman out.
The firefighter then performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in the accident and police said it appears there was not a party going on at the time.
Police looking at different scenarios
"Our investigators are looking at different scenarios, so we are not really sure what happened so far," Bellman said.
"Well, we don't know whether it was simply an accident or whether somebody slipped. We're just not sure."
Police said it's not clear how the woman entered the pool. The incident is not considered suspicious.
However, Bellman said the near drowning raises questions of safety, and that it's important to remember backyard pools pose hazards.
"Pool safety is something that everybody has be aware of," he said.
Anyone with information is urged to call the York Regional Police no. 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7241, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips.
An anonymous tip can be left online at www.1800222tips.com or texted to CRIMES (274637) starting with the word YORK.
