NJ family drowned trying to save young girl — because none of them could swim

[mystery-ak]

 NJ family drowned trying to save young girl — because none of them could swim

By Craig McCarthy and Ben Feuerherd

June 24, 2020 | 3:41pm | Updated





The New Jersey family members who drowned in their backyard pool were trying to rescue an 8-year-old from deep water — but none of them could swim, law-enforcement sources said.

The tragic ordeal began when the child — identified by neighbors as Sacchi Patel — jumped into a 6- or 7-foot-deep section of the above-ground pool at the family’s recently purchased house in East Brunswick on Monday afternoon, the sources said.

An aunt who was watching the girl called for help, and the child’s 62-year-old grandfather, Bharat Patel, jumped in to try to save her, according to sources.

But Bharat struggled in the water because he didn’t know how to swim.

So the girl’s mother, 33-year-old Nisha Patel, then jumped in. But Nisha also didn’t know how to swim and struggled to save both her daughter and father-in-law before drowning, law-enforcement sources said.

The aunt who witnessed the ordeal was able to reach the young girl in the water, but not soon enough to save her life, NBC New York reported.

The three lived in the house on Clearview Road, which the family bought in April for $451,000, according to public records.

A neighbor who spoke with Bharat before the incident told NBC the family recently had the pool fixed up — and Monday may have been the first time they had used it.

On Tuesday, Mayor Brad Cohen told NJ.com that the “entire East Brunswick community is shocked and saddened.”

“Our condolences go out to the family and may they find strength from the community that shares in their grief,” he said.

Authorities had originally been investigating whether the trio had been electrocuted in the pool, but ruled that out Tuesday afternoon.

https://nypost.com/2020/06/24/nj-family-not-knowing-how-to-swim-drowned-trying-to-save-girl/

[goatprairie]

The depth of that pool can't be more than three-four feet. Unless they're midgets, adults could easily stand up in that pool.

[Elderberry]

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/three-drown-in-pool-at-new-jersey-home-mayor/2479180/

a six- or seven-foot deep underground section of the above-ground pool

My mother never learned to swim even though she loved the water. She made sure us kids learned to swim around the time that we learned to walk.

[skeeter]

I lifeguarded for six years as a yute, but never had to perform an actual rescue until a few years ago. Some adult woman caught in a rip tide.

Believe me, unless you have a floatation aid of some kind you’d best be extremely careful attempting it. In the water there is less difference between a strong swimmer and a drowning person than you’d think. She was cooperative - if she had been panicking I woulda been in real trouble.

[berdie]

I agree with most of what is posted here.

What I'm struggling with is why anyone would have a pool of any depth and not have at least one swimmer in the family?

[goatprairie]

 "six- or seven-foot deep underground section of the above-ground pool"

Read the story too quickly. Missed that part. I stand corrected.

[Smokin Joe]

I lifeguarded for six years as a yute, but never had to perform an actual rescue until a few years ago. Some adult woman caught in a rip tide.

Believe me, unless you have a floatation aid of some kind you’d best be extremely careful attempting it. In the water there is less difference between a strong swimmer and a drowning person than you’d think. She was cooperative - if she had been panicking I woulda been in real trouble.

Rip tides are one thing, (open water) and plenty difficult. This is a pool. It has edges.

Keeping calm and having a plan is key. Chances are that one could have held on to the side of the pool while another jumped in grabbed the kid and used the one holding on to the side of thee pool to pull themselves up while holding their breath.

Just drown proofing would have taught these people to survive if they'd kept their heads.

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