A toddler in Georgia is on life support after his mother left him alone with his 2-year-old sister in a bathtub, according to a news report.
The mother, Britianie Susan Pace, was charged with child cruelty in the second degree, 11Alive reported and she was arrested June 29 but formally charged this week.
The father of the children, Brade Gilleland, was in the process of divorcing Pace.
The father wasn’t at their Lawrenceville home when the incident occurred, officials said. The 1-year-old child, Brodie Gilleland, is still in critical condition at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.
A family member, Bryson Gilleland, said that doctors “are pretty certain he’ll never wake up.” No human wants to make the decision to take somebody else’s life especially when it is your own son,” Bryson added. “But if you could witness him in person and see the struggle he is going through he is clearly suffering and there is just no quality of life. It is selfish, it is unfair.”
“The only way to keep him alive is to keep him on machines,” Brade Gilleland said, AJC.com reported.
The 2-year-old was reportedly released into the care of Gilleland’s parents.
According to AJC, the child’s parents are battling over whether to remove the boy from life support.
We hear it on the news and we hear stories from our friends but it can literally happen to any family in the blink of an eye!
Kids love being in and around the water but we as parents need to ensure their safety at all times. Drowning is one of the top causes of unnatural death amongst children but at the same time, these ill-fated events are very preventable.
Here are a few water safety tips which we as parents can do to prevent such a tragic occurrence and ensure that your time spent around water is a happy and safe time for everyone.
Supervision
Never leave a child alone in or around water – be it the pool, ocean or even in the bath! Be watchful and keep an observant eye on the children around water, keep pool gates locked or cover your pool with a certified pool net. A basic course in first aid and CPR will also make a difference in the outcome of an incident should the skills be applied timeously.
Barriers
Having multiple layers of safety around pool and spa areas or any other open bodies of water (such as a safety net, a closed fence, and a surface alarm) can prevent tragic accidents.
Prevention is better than cure!
Make sure that these barriers are well maintained and properly fitted at all times. Also, make sure that when your kids are swimming over at a neighbor or family member’s home that these are in place.
Swimming lessons
My 2.5-year-old daughter has started swimming lessons and the first lessons she lelearnedas how to climb out of the pool and how to float on her back.
Children should actually learn to swim as soon as possible. It’s important for them to be trained in survival skills such as floating and treading water and even if they are able to do so, constant supervision is still always necessary.