There was a very upsetting death in the neighborhood

[sleek]

I was skipping school to find a deer I shot the night before. I came home from taking my wife to work and son to school. I pulled into the neighborhood and next to the pond there were about 8 people, mostly women all crying and screaming. I drove up to see. What I saw was beyond words.

A man was beating the chest of a soaked two year old little girl who had fallin in. She was very blue and lifeless.  He was frantically slamming his fists on her. I said I got it and took over. I started cpr and got some water out of her. I continued cpr until the paramedics arrived.  Unfortunately,  I wasnt there soon enough. She had been under too long. The father said he had went to the bathroom and when he got out she was gone. It was about 15 min before they found her. There are cameras around the pond that picked up the girl just being a kid chasing the geese. Then she got too close and fell in. 

She was my neighbor. This is hard to recover from. Especially because I was there and cant get the image out my mind. Never delt with a child before. In war, friends, but never a kid. Thoughts for the family, I cant imagine their grief.

[CherokeeKC]

Dang man im sorry.  I cant imagine going through something like that on your side or the families.  Sending prayers.

[J05H]

Man, that's a tough thing to go through. Like Cherokee, I can't even imagine what you must be feeling, let alone the family of the little girl. Her family, you, and your entire community have my deepest sympathies. It's important to remember that you did everything you could.

[Ed Brooks]

Sleek, I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's hard to know you can't do anything. You did what you could, may that little angle rest in peace. Ed

[Zuma]

Sorry Sleek,
Don't be hard on yourself.
He maketh and taketh. Prayers for you, yours
and the family of the little girl.
Zuma

[le0n]

that is extremely tragic.

hopefully everyone involved can find peace in the days to come.

i can't even begin to imagine what that family is going to go through. i really hope they have the support they need.

[sleek]

I wish I had done many things differently,  tried harder, things I could/should have done differently.  I dont know if they would have made a difference or not but at least I would know I did do more than I did. I didnt do everything possible, because I was afraid to stop what I was doing and turn her upside down to help the water out, or Heimlich maneuver to force water out faster,  or work a bystander to get the girl warm. 

I wish I knew something I could do for the family. But I really think the best is to leave them alone and not bother. I cant close my eyes and not see her. Every time I blink I see her laying there with more detail than needs be said.

[JW_Halverson]

Words fail in times like these.  All I can say is that I hear you, I hear you.

[sieddy]

Really sorry to hear about this tragedy for your community. I hope you all find some measure of peace in the days to come.

[Ed Brooks]

Sleek, you can try talking to your local fire/ police or rescue department. they should be able to set you up with some one to talk too. maybe even some of the people that were on the this call. I hope the very best for you. good on you for getting involved, this world needs more ppl just like you. Ed 

[Badly Bent]

You have my utmost respect for stepping up and taking action, you did all that could be done under the circumstances.
Go easy on yourself Sleek and hopefully time will heal the pain for you and the girls family.

[hunterbob]

Nothing you could of done sleek. Don't beat yourself up overy it . GOD works in mysterious ways. 
I lost a son to leukemia at the age of 13 back in 2003 . The best thing you can do is dwell on the good memories you have of the little girl and I mean dwell on them. That is how I have delt and continue to deal with the death of my son.

[Zuma]

We lost a family member years ago.
A unique four year old (autistic).He was a nephew by marriage
but I was fortunate to see him often. For some reason he
responded to me more than most. I have a deep voice that
I think had  more of an effect on Michale than most because
I talked to him while in Momma's womb. When I would
speak he would crawl to me and I would embrace him in my lap.
 We just clicked. His dad would take him to the river in the back
 yard of their home. He loved it. I was there throwing rocks in
with Michale too. Often. Some how he climbed the four foot
play yard fence and marched himself to heaven.
Sure it totally sucks. But life demands that if you want your own
 strength back. You must  pass that strength forward to your kin
and all you know. God bless you. Let him.
hurting Zuma

[Marks]

My little boy is almost 2. This makes me sick to think about. Hind sight is 20/20. You can always go back and say you could have done something different when the things you did didn't work. You did all you could in that moment considering the situation you were in. All you can do now is try to prepare yourself for if you are every in a similar situation again. The image won't go away but it will fade with time.

[sleek]

I am working on setting up myself to become a first responder. I will not be caught unprepared again. I have been trained in the past but thats been a long 7 years ago.