EAST BRUNSWICK, New Jersey (WPVI) — The tragic drowning deaths of three family members in Middlesex County, New Jersey earlier this week has brought up issues of pool safety. The investigation into the tragedy is ongoing as authorities now say electricity didn’t play a role in the drowning deaths.
Action News talked with an aquatic investigator who has some important pool safety tips.
An 8-year-old child, her mother and her grandfather were found dead Monday afternoon in the above-ground swimming pool in their backyard.
Authorities say that while the above-ground pool was mostly shallow at 3 1/2 feet deep, a portion of the pool was 7 feet deep and “It doesn’t appear that the victims knew how to swim.”
Aquatic safety consultant Michael Oostman has investigated hundreds of drownings across the country and said what happened in East Brunswick is rare and the large majority of drownings happen when children or non-swimmers are unsupervised.