Boy Drowns At Camp In Swimming Pool With 10 Counselors Watching Kids

A 6-year-old boy drowns at his summer camp in suburban Chicago while multiple counselors in charge are nearby.

Police say Michael Duda of Justice was at a public swimming pool when the tragedy occurred. The State Journal-Register releases this report after the Tuesday afternoon incident at Bridgeview Park District.

Bridgeview Police Chief Walter Klimek explains that lifeguards pulled Michael from the shallow end of the pool; he was unresponsive and unable to breathe. The child was sent to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner.

ABC7 offered more details into this matter. Their story digs deeper and reveals that 10 camp counselors were nearby when the event took place. Besides Michael Duda being at the camp, there were 73 other children there as well.

A 10-year-old by the name of Oleson tells the news source what happened:

“I heard a bunch of the counselors go, ‘Go inside! Go inside!’ And I looked over, and I saw the kid laying on the ground.”

Lifeguards pulled the boy out at about 1:45 pm. Lifeguards performed CPR then called 911. It’s unknown how long the 6-year-old had been under water. Another witness, Eric Naglak, recalls:

“All I saw was the kid just laying on the pool deck with his feet in the water, and the lifeguards were giving him CPR. That’s all I saw, and then they told us to get in the showers.”

When Duda showed up at the hospital, he had a weak pulse and was put in the intensive care unit. He was later pronounced dead.

For the children witnessing something so scary after a fellow camp member drowns, it definitely dampened the spirit of the experience. Michael Duda and the other kids were chaperoned by 10 counselors for the Village of Justice summer camp program.
Chief Klimek says this of the investigation so far into the drowning:

“We have reviewed the videotape taken from the pool security cameras, but they do not show much other than the boy being rescued from the shallow end of the pool.”

Police are in the middle of interviewing camp counselor and pool staff. The superintendent who runs the summer camp of the Justice Park District declined to comment on Wednesday. The only response given is that facts are still being sorted out and an update will be provided within the next day or so on why this boy drowned at summer camp.

[Photo Credit: ABC7 via Daily Mail]