JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The recent arrest of a Jacksonville mother charged with child neglect is putting a spotlight on how easy it is for a small child to drown while left unattended in a bathtub.
While child neglect is a serious crime, News4JAX made an editorial decision not to identify the mother, as the arrest report suggests the incident stemmed from an accidental distraction rather than willful neglect.
The near-drowning happened last year, but the mother was arrested a few days ago on a warrant for child neglect.
The mother told investigators she placed her toddler in the bathtub and started running the water before tending to a work-related phone call – something she said she had done before with no problems, according to the report.
She said the child usually stands in the tub. But on this particular day, she did not realize a white washcloth was in the tub. The cloth was clogging the drain and allowing the tub to fill with water.
Mere minutes had gone by, and by the time the mother returned to the bathroom, she found her child floating face down in a full tub of water. The child was taken to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, where doctors managed to save the toddler, but said the lack of oxygen during the near-drowning caused permanent brain damage.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said, despite the incident being an accident, police had no other choice but to charge the mom with child neglect.
“It’s a tragedy, no matter how you slice it, but that doesn’t remove the responsibility from the parent or caregiver. That’s their number one task, and they’re responsibilities and consequences. Aside from the death or injury of a child, there are consequences with eh law. For neglecting that child,” Hackney said before explaining how this case is an example of how a distraction, such as a phone call, can lead to a tragic event that results in a parent being criminally charged.
“Your attention is diverted, and this case we’re talking about, a phone call. It just takes a matter of seconds before tragedy can strike. “It’s never safe to turn your back. It’s never safe to handle any other business. The water temperature plays a role. That water can get scalding quickly. The tub fills up, and the baby’s face goes down. It doesn’t take much, and it doesn’t take long,” Hackney said.
According to data compiled by multiple child advocacy and medical organizations on child drownings:
- Bathtubs are the most common locations for drowning accidents involving young children.
- Bathtub drownings are the second common type of drowning, after swimming pool drownings.
- Kids under the age of five account for 30 percent of bathtub drownings.
- Infants under the age of one account for 80 percent of bathtub drownings.
As for the mom who was arrested, she has since bonded out of jail and now has a July 17 court date to answer for the child neglect charge.
