WASHINGTON — Two people were flown to a hospital on Thursday after a near drowning at the Theodore Hagans outdoor pool in Fort Lincoln Park in Northeast D.C.
According to DC Fire and EMS, a man and woman were in critical condition when EMS arrived at the pool located in the 3200 block of Fort Lincoln Drive in Northeast D.C.
Both victims were resuscitated by EMS and taken to an area hospital for treatment still in critical condition.
A witness who helped life guards give CPR until EMS arrived on scene said it happened in the deep end of the pool during "adult swim."
That's when someone spotted both a man, whom the witness said looked to be in his 50s and a woman in her 20s, at the bottom of the pool.
A life guard and another man brought them to the surface.
Police have not said how the near drowning occurred nor provided any further details at this point. MPD is investigating.
Jermaine Hunter is a CPR instructor who was at the pool when the two people went under.
He said there was no indication anything was wrong before they were spotted underwater. Hunter said when they were brought to the surface they were not breathing.
That's when he and lifeguards started the CPR that may have saved their lives - working off adrenaline, he said, and taking turns to keep the compressions going until help arrived.
"It's emotional, man," Hunter said. "You know...the biggest thing right now is just, you know, how are they doing?"
The Theodore Hagans outdoor pool is one of three in Ward 5.
Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood Metro Station is the closet Metro Station to the pool.
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Pediatricians like Dr. Daniel Guzman of Cook Children’s hospital in Fort Worth Texas say drowning is not what you think.
"Drownings are a silent killer. It is not a scenario where you're gonna hear the splashing or hear someone screaming for help. That is why it is so important that someone is always watching the pool or watching the kids," explained Guzman.
He tells us that once someone begins to gag on water, there is a reflex that makes it virtually impossible to yell.