First responders rescue 11-year-old girl with autism near icy water in Cincinnati
By Matthew Dietz & Richard Chiles
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CINCINNATI (WLWT) — A rescue in Cincinnati Wednesday night is serving as a reminder to parents that water can pose a danger to kids year-round, especially those with autism, if they’re not prepared.
Cincinnati firefighters rescued an 11-year-old girl with autism who was near icy water at Bramble Park. Officials say it happened around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, when multiple crews were called to the park in Madisonville.
Firefighters say the girl was alone and had wandered down to the pond.
First responders worked with the girl’s father and lowered an extension ladder to allow two of them to reach the child in a gully, including one who was in an ice suit.
The crew member who reached the young girl placed her on the ladder and was able to safely reunite the girl with her father.
No injuries were reported in the incident and it’s not known what led to the girl going into the gully.
This story had a happy ending, but that isn’t always the case.
We’ve seen other similar cases over the past few years, specifically involving children with autism: A rescue back in November in Pierce Township and two drownings in West Chester, a 7-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy.
There are efforts in Ohio and Kentucky to better coordinate the search for kids like these when they wander way.
Advocates say a big way you can help is get your child swimming lessons.
“Parents can’t always be there to save their kids. We try as we might, you know, we do everything in the world that we can,” said Leslie Williams, president of the Empath for Autism Foundation. “These parents are taking a lot of safety measures, door alarms, having GPS tracking on their children. Sometimes, it doesn’t work, but if they do find themselves in that situation, how are they going to survive being in the water?”
The Cincinnati Recreation Center offers swim lessons year round. Empath for Autism provides lessons for free. Information on how to sign up is available on their website.
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