GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On a sunny day in June 2020, Stephen Rowe packed up his son Iain, told him he loved him, and sent the 6-year-old off to Holland State Park to enjoy the day with friends. Iain never returned home.
A few hours later, Stephen received a call from local police.
“All I remember hearing was 'Iain,' 'beach' and 'missing,'” he said, “and then the world just kind of quaked.”
It was a red flag day with no red flags in sight – COVID-19 meant no one was out putting them up. But the conditions were so poor, rescuers eventually had to call off the search and Iain was lost to the waters of Lake Michigan.
“I was in shock probably for the better part of the next year, to be honest,” said Stephen. “You always believe that it happens to somebody else.”
Unfortunately, Stephen is far from alone. Each year in the U.S. an estimated 3,960 people drown accidentally, an average of 11 per day. That statistic doesn’t include the 8,080 non-fatal drownings that are estimated to occur each year.
The issue is especially prevalent among kids. Accidental drowning is the leading cause of death for kids ages 1–4 and the second-leading killer of kids ages 1–14 behind only car accidents.
“It’s just a statistic and people tend to overlook statistics until it happens to them,” said Rowe.
Rowe now has a 1-year-old son, who he immediately enrolled in swim classes, something he says he wished he had done with Iain.
At the Grand Rapids KROC Center, the aquatics staff teaches hundreds of lessons every year. Jessica Viau, their aquatics director, says introducing kids to the water at a young age is preferable, but their classes also focus on safety geared towards parents.
“Drowning is actually silent, so a kid can slip away, just two seconds and you wouldn’t realize it,” said Viau. “You don’t hear it; you don’t see it; you don’t know until it’s too late.”
Viau recommends parents designate a watcher to keep an eye on young swimmers at all times.
“Some people will actually have a tag that they hand off between adults, and it’s a good reminder. It’s not necessary but it’s a good reminder saying, hey, now it’s your responsibility to watch the kids.”
And she recommends adults take charge around water.
“Just reminding your kids to wait for that okay, that it’s all right to go in,” she said. “Kind of like with crossing the street, wait until an adult says you can go.”
“Never let your guard down and treat it with respect,” urged Rowe. “Don’t ever be the person that gets that phone call, because one phone call is one too many.”
To view swim classes at the Grand Rapids KROC Center, click here.
