Swim free and learn water safety

Tiffany Young, left, Pam Henry, Brian Nicholson, Sylvia Pinson and Dawn Holley make up the Water Safety Weekend committee. (T-G Photo by John Philleo) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Last week, a young mother who had lost her son in an accidental drowning death last year allowed herself to be interviewed by our intern, Micky Pietkiewicz.

I sat in on the interview, and I was touched by Tiffany Young's selflessness, and her willingness to speak to us about the circumstances surrounding the death of her son, Matthew G. Woods.

It was a painfully emotional subject for her, but she kept on talking through her tears -- I hope her sharing will help her to heal.

She said that if just one future life could be saved, it would be worth the pain of revisiting the most horrifying day of her life.

Her son had been in the pool, with a life jacket on, under her supervision, when he told her he needed to go to the bathroom. He was almost three years old and potty trained.

It was common for him to go to the bathroom by himself so that he could preserve his privacy.

So she took off his life jacket and led him into the house toward the bathroom, then went into the next room to give him his privacy.

Only a few moments went by before she went to check on him and found him missing, she said. Within moments he was found in the pool.

Her experience shows that it only takes a moment's lapse of watchfulness for a child to make a fatal mistake.

I have been in the news business a little more than 16 years, and through my experience, I have learned to separate my job from my emotions. But hearing Tiffany share her loss nearly brought tears to my eyes.

It was truly a devastating tragedy, and a reminder that these things can happen to anyone, at any time.

In fact, there have been several more tragedies in Bedford County during the past few weeks, and they may have been preventable with more attention to proper safety procedures.

One child was accidently run over by a backhoe after darting behind it, a young woman was thrown from the bed of a pickup truck when the trailer fishtailed, and another child was thrown from a vehicle and killed because his safety seat was improperly attached.

Just a few month ago, a child was thrown from a truck and killed due to improper seat belt precautions.

Our community mourns these lost souls, and my prayers go out to their families. I certainly don't mean to condemn anyone in any way for these accidents. Lord knows that there have been some close calls in my life, and it is always a mystery whom God chooses to bring home to Him.

School's out now, and I hope that from this point onward, our county will suffer no more needless and tragic deaths.

In order for that to happen, we all need to be on the lookout for unsafe situations, and do all we can to keep our loved ones, and the loved ones of others, safe.

Parents, as well as children, must be educated on safety, whether it's on the roadway, in the park, or around the pool.

The safety committee of United Way of Bedford County has organized a Water Safety Weekend event to take place Saturday at the Shelbyville Recreation Center.

The event is being held in memory of Matthew, and is intended to teach parents and children safe practices in and around water.

The event is free to the public, and is being organized in conjunction with the Shelbyville Fire Department and the Shelbyville Parks and Recreation department.

The program will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at H.V. Griffin Park. Those attending the free program can stay on and swim for free all day afterward. The rec center will open for regular swimming at 11 a.m.

Pam Henry, the recreation center's aquatic director, wants to teach people to "respect the water, but not to fear it."

"Even though water is here for us to enjoy, people do need to be aware of its dangers," she said.

The event will involve safety demonstrations, games, music and door prizes.

I encourage everyone with children, or who are around children a lot, or who have a boat or a pool, to load the family in the car and show up for the Water Safety Weekend.

You may learn something that will save a life one day, and at the very least, Mattie's little soul will shine down on you.

-- John Philleo is editor of the Times-Gazette and can be reached by e-mail at editor@t-g.com.