What happens when drowning?
Whether it be a river, lake, sea, ocean or any water pocket, it could be a well or a water tank too, drowning happens in different situations & points of danger and the time could differ due to capability & Struggle during the situation but the consequence is the same. There are some common points to note the ways in which people drown and something that could have been avoided.
After drowning, a body settles underwater since the lungs get filled up by the water hence it makes a body heavier and it goes down. When the gases from the body starts to build up it lifts the body up the surface.
In this Article we have covered
- Conditions
- Causes
- Facts with differences
- Second drowning
- Incidents
- Points to consider in a strange place
- Contributors
There are certain conditions for a person to even learn swimming
When you go to learn swimming there are questions that need to be answered by every person related to their health condition. People may find it difficult to breathe in certain situations or move their body parts if there is a seizure. Hence, people who have seizures could still be at risk of drowning if there is an attack.
People under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol can be an easy victims of drowning. There’s been plenty of cases in the the news where a man walking after late night party falls of in the river or a lake and drowns or even friends in a lake drowning out of the blue. Especially drinking by the riverside or docks of wells or while on board a fishing boat is a big no no.
” The most recent figures from the National Water Safety Forum Water Incident Database (WAID) show that in 2018, 263 people lost their lives in accidental drownings in the UK.”
Major causes in adult population for drowning incidents
- Travelling to an unknown waters (eg: caves, Tide formations, predators etc)
- Depression
- Suicidal thoughts
- Loss of balance while on the waterside
- Cold water shocks (deep waters)
- Getting tangled
- Quicksand
- Sudden strong currents (Dam releases water or white water /raging rivers, near the docks & canal gates)
- Sudden wild animal attacks
- Shark attack in the sea (wild animal attack)
- Crocodiles in the river and lakes
- Boating accidents
- Dare game/ Pranks (peer pressure)
- Floods (flash floods, Cloud bursts, heavy rainfall)
Depression can be one of the reasons to loose your focus
It is often linked with an emotional effect on the people when the they feel depressed and rejected. However, it is not limited to only such cases. This could simply be considered as the causes of suicidal tendencies.
Situations mentioned are not limited to adults many of the same points also apply to children as well. Around the world the same incidents have taken place. The best words of advice that we heard is never enter the strange waters. i.e if you aren’t familiar with the place you are planning to swim, do not do so.
‘As per the World Health Organization (WHO) report drowning is the third major cause of death. Their report also sheds a light that male mortality by drowning is way more then females. This was due to certain habits such as drinking, boating & swimming alone too. ‘
Read the warning signs near the waterside to make yourself aware
When going in the sea side or any kind of water side try to read the sign posts. This will allow you to know the dangers of that place and also the warnings. Many accidents around the world could go unreported too in the famous statistics.
Never Jump from a height if you are not experienced & trained. Many a times on jumping from the heights people hit their head and collapse which could lead to drowning. Also while swimming if the water starts to get cold then its a sign that you should come out as soon as possible and keep yourself warm.
Fact to note is that salt water drownings are different from fresh water drownings
- A person can drowning in the fresh water faster then in the salt water.
- Even the best of the swimmers can drown easily
- Many incidents of death by drowning even in the middle of the public pools have been reported
- Drowning is silent (It requires a person to have a good eye actually know when someone is struggling in water)
- Sea waves have rip currents that can pull even a skilled swimmer into the sea
Pulmonary Edema is also known as second drowning or dry drowning
It is also considered that a drowning could happen even without you being in water. This is called a second drowning. Pulmonary edema causes the heart failure. In other words when a fluid is trapped in the air spaces of your lungs.
Cruise crash incidents that contribute in the loss of lives.
Every month there has been at least one boating or cruise related accident taken place since January 2019. To name a few we can say the most recent are the Budapest Hungary boat crash, that killed many people in the boat. Incidents such as engine failure or getting caught up in a storm are the few reasons which result in the deaths of people by drowning. The emergency services often receive calls and updates on incidents. Its not simply for a grown ups and adults. This issue is very well connected to the babies and toddlers too.
#Venezia #VIDEO la nave da crociera #Opera di @MSC_Crociere fuori controllo ha speronato stamattina il battello fluviale #Michelangelo e la banchina.
Qualcuno ci spiegherà perché le navi che salvano vite sono sotto sequestro, mentre queste #grandinavi sono libere di far danni. pic.twitter.com/mSyhCMvvZc
— Beppe Caccia (@beppecaccia) 2 June 2019
However, chances of dying on a cruise ship is 1 in a million. Chances of a person dying on a boat however when drunk is comparatively very high. Carrying kids on a boat or a ship is a big responsibility so the person carrying them have to be highly focused and aware of the outcomes and be prepared.
Coastguard instructions are always a helpful to save people
First things first to get to know. You should always carry a first aid when on a journey. It is always a good idea to let someone in your family & friends know where you are if you are travelling by sea in case you go missing or lost, at lest someone will be there to report it so the local emergency services can undertake a search and rescue operation as soon as possible.
How to save someone from drowning if you don’t know how to swim?
You may use a float, a lifebuoy that are always next to the waterside. Depending upon where you are you could use things to save life. There is NO way you should ever try to save someone by entering in the water if you don’t know how to swim yourself. As you can not only put the victims life in danger but also yourself at risk of drowning as the drowning person tries to latch on to anything in desperation to breathe.
Lifeguards and professionals are highly skilled and trained to undertake these tasks. Throwing a float with a rope so you can pull that person out is mostly used and seen to be successful until emergency services reach there.
For years and years people in small villages often poor communities who do not have access to life buoys, used Plastic containers and cans to learn and swimming. Since many of these containers are highly durable to carry heavy weights of liquid, on use it when they are empty and using it as a source of float has helped many. On closing the empty plastic container cap securely can work like a float on tying a rope on it could work too.
How you as an individual can make a difference so someone’s life can be saved
Firstly, we don’t know where you must be reading this article from. Hence, I would like to suggest you that first thing is help your local area. If you know a place that could be dangerous for the people and a risk of drowning then check if there’s are strong ropes in a place nearby also if there are life jackets and or lifebuoy nearby.
If you are somewhere where there is no such facility then try to contact your local council or other words as your municipality and ask them to provide a life saving equipment at the near the lake, beach side or a well. Having such a thing will help a lot of people.
In case the local government is unable to help you and is least interested in your suggestion due to funds, then you can start a patreon page to ask for a funding online. Once you manage to gather the funds, buy those life saving items and record videos of it online and post it and also send it to those that helped thanking them. This way YOU could be instrumental in changing YOUR local communities life too by making a difference. If non of this works, then the most classic way of raising funds is by actually talking to your locals and raising funds from them to help your local community save lives.
To make long story short, NOT everything can be taught at the training centers. Certain times people know exactly how is the vehicle they are seated in. They picture how the boat sinks and how they can be safe the moment they see the boat .
Major contributors in Children from 1 to 14 years of ages
Drowning in bathtub is one of the reasons for babies deaths. Hence, there are many places emphasis is given to the toddler swimming lessons for. Even in many schools in the UK have swimming lessons. Governments and the education sector is learning the importance of kids swimming training.
This constitutes Immediate unintentional accidents. There are plenty of cases where at time the school bus tipped over in the river this causes a loss of many children’s lives.
Major reasons constitutes of NO adult supervision for that moment. Public Health of England (PHE) has alerted parents on this issue. Accidental death of children by drowning is something that could be prevented. Dr Yvonne Doyle ( regional director of Public Health of England) had said that An Adult should always be with children who are in or close to the water.
In fact having child placed in the inflatable toy could still be danger to life of a child as they are not designed to save a life. Life jackets are the best bet if you want kids to be safe in water.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT EMERGENCY NUMBERS FOR DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
- If you are in USA its 911
- In UK its 999
- 112 is one number that can work from many countries of the world even if your phone is locked. If you are a smart phone user like Iphone then you already have emergency number store on clicking the locked menu when it allows you to enter the code to unlock the phone at the bottom left hand corner has emergency number so on clicking this number will direct your call straight to emergency services without having to unlock the phone even.
Please Note: These are only suggestions and does NOT mean an absolute solution. As there are different situations and circumstances where these suggestions and words of advice through personal experience may not apply or work. So read the warnings and listen to your local emergency services that are highly trained to undertake these tasks.
