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On Saturday, May 13, 3-year-old toddler Anthony Malave drowned in an accident at El Paso's Camp Cohen Water Park. The victim's mother, Jessica Weaver, has condemned what she described as the inadequate response of the park lifeguards, claiming that their lack of preparation is partially to blame for the tragedy.
Trigger warning: This article concerns the accidental death of a child, the reader's discretion is advised
The Camp Cohen Water Park is managed by the City of El Paso, according to The El Paso Times. City officials have refused to comment on the death of Anthony Malave, stating that the case is currently under investigation. The Camp Cohen Water Park, one of the city's four water parks, was initially opened in 2021. It was closed for an undisclosed period before May 13. The day of the tragedy was labeled a "soft opening" event.
Anthony Malave's funeral took place on May 15, 2023
As reported by CBS, on Saturday, Jessica Weaver attended the soft opening of Camp Cohen with Anthony Malave. Weaver told reporters that the accident occurred at approximately 5 pm when Malave was found unresponsive in a pool. Fox noted that the EMS was called at 5:09 pm and arrived at 5:14 pm.
Jessica Weaver said that upon their arrival, first responders attempted to use CPR equipment on Anthony Malave. However, they faced technical difficulties. Weaver claimed that it was clear the lifeguards were not well trained.
Weaver said:
“They weren’t ready to switch out equipment if one wasn’t working properly for this child, they didn’t know do hands on mouth to mouth CPR, they didn’t even say hey this isn’t working, let’s do this, it was like let’s keep going with what we have and see the outcome."
She continued:
“They kept saying the same thing that it’s not sealing properly around his mouth so he’s not getting the oxygen he needed, but never was there a switch of hey we got another one, here’s another piece of equipment, here let’s try this, it was just traumatizing to watch. "
Jessica Weaver told CBS reporters that she does not blame the lifeguards but hopes that the city will provide them with adequate training in the future. She added that many of the lifeguards were young, describing them as "children saving children."
In order to stop further drownings at the city's water parks, Jessica Weaver told reporters from various media sites that she is committed to speaking out against the inadequate safety responses. In a message delivered during an ABC 7 interview, she reminded parents to keep an eye on their children at the pool and to make sure that they were wearing floating devices.
The funeral of Anthony Malave was held on May 15, 2023. His obituary stated that he left behind a mother and a pair of grandparents.
Drowning rates in America
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 4000 fatal unintentional drownings in America a year and 8000 nonfatal drownings. The Red Cross noted that around 10 people die from drowning in America each day.
Studies show that for children between the ages of 1 and 4, drowning is the most common cause of death. US government sites state that to prevent drowning, parents should closely supervise children who are in the pool and implement a buddy system so that swimmers can look after one another in case of an emergency.
