North Side Toddler Drowns In Bucket

Copyright 2001
The Columbus Dispatch
December 18, 2001

Health officials were warning parents and caregivers yesterday about drowning hazards after the death of a 13-month-old North Side girl who fell headfirst into a bucket of water on Sunday.

Another toddler who fell into a bucket of water last week was recuperating in the hospital yesterday.

While her mother was in another room, Mabinta Sesay, of 1918 Forest Elm Court, crawled into a bathtub and fell into a 5-gallon bucket of water sometimes used for bathing, detective Michael McCann said. An older brother pulled her from the bucket and carried the child to their mother, who frantically tried to revive her.

A neighbor who heard the mother's screams called 911. The girl was pronounced dead at Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital.

"We believe it was clearly an accident. Mom was downstairs, and the baby had crawled off for a moment," McCann said.

Franklin County Coroner Dr. Brad Lewis said he will abide by the family's wishes as Muslims not to perform an autopsy.

A 15-month-old boy is still hospitalized at Children's Hospital after he fell into a bucket filled with water and a cleaning solution last Tuesday.

Christopher Pimienta of Galli Court on the Far West Side was in fair condition yesterday. Christopher's mother found him unconscious and drove him to a nearby medical office. Paramedics said the boy suffered facial burns from the cleaning solution.

"It's really important for all parents and caregivers of children to know that babies can drown in as little as 2 inches of water," said Dr. Teresa Long, medical director for the Columbus Health Department. "All of us need to be ever vigilant when children are around."

Small children should never be left alone around water sources, she said.

In 1999 and 2000, the city recorded one drowning and several near drownings involving children younger than 4, Long said.

"That rate actually puts Columbus below the state of Ohio and national rates, but we are not satisfied with that because we want the rate to be zero," she said.

Small children are at risk around water because of their lack of mobility, Lewis said.

"The problem with small kids is that they're not real stable. Their heads are big in proportion to the rest of their body, and when they lean forward, the weight of their head can force them to fall in," he said.

There have been nine drownings in Franklin County this year, but Mabinta's death was the first of a child younger than 4, Lewis said.

bcadwallader@dispatch.com