Memories are all Brittany and Taylor Law have left.

“The last time I saw Kye he was being pulled in a wagon,” Brittany said.

It’s those happy thoughts she’ll hold on to the most because reality still hurts. “I didn’t see movement, “she said. “I didn’t see a splash. I didn’t see bubbles, nothing.”

A little over two weeks ago Law and her family took a quick trip to a friend’s house. Kye Marshall Law, also known as baby Kye was playing with friends. Moments later, Brittany’s life changed forever.

“I checked the pool. It was dark,” Law recalls. “Next thing I know, I turned around to Taylor jumping into the pool and pulling him out of the water.”Baby Kye died later that day. “It can happen to you and it happens fast when you least expect it,” she said.

As we sit here in the hot, humid weather in Louisiana we are all thinking of ways to cool off, with one of those ways being in a swimming pool. One of the big things that we should be thinking about is how to keep kids safe around swimming pools.

Louisiana has one of the highest drowning rates in the nation. It is not just beaches and lakes we need to worry about, the real threats are backyard pools. Drowning is the number one cause of deaths in children ages 0-14 in pools. A swimming pool with no lifeguard is 14 times more likely than a vehicle to have an accident. Children are very curious and often times can figure out how to get around a fence, up a ladder and into a pool.

We must be able to identify hazards that exist and work hard to keep our children safe. So, what can you do?

• Backyard pools should always have some type of fence or barrier in which the pool is enclosed and cannot be entered without the help of a reliable adult.
• If you see others such as a neighbor or friend that does not have a fence or barrier, be proactive and talk to them about the dangers.
• If you are the person in charge, always be a “water watcher” and never take your eyes off of the children. Supervises without distraction. Drowning is a silent killer, you won’t always hear it.
• Enroll your child in swimming lessons.
• If you have small kid’s pools, empty them after each use.
• Learn CPR and what steps to take in an emergency situation.

Excerpt from story by Carmen Poe | May 4, 2019 at 8:53 PM CDT - Updated May 5 at 10:38 AM.