Twin Toddlers Drown in Backyard Pool in Tragic Accident

A heartbroken family in the USA is mourning the loss of their twin toddlers, Locklyn and Loreli, who tragically drowned in their backyard pool on 16 March 2023.

The 18-month-old twins wandered outside and into the unfenced pool area after their great-grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s accidentally left the back door open.

‘Just want to play outside’

Mum, Jenny Callazzo found her twins, who loved to play outside, at the bottom of the pool. They were both unconscious when pulled from the water and were pronounced dead two hours later.

The Callazzo family lives in Oklahoma City. Aerial footage of the property showed a pool filled with green water with no fencing around it. In the footage, you can also see how the back door goes directly into the pool.

Locklyn and Loreli lived in the house with their mum, Jenny, her husband, Sonny, their great-grandmother, and four older children.

The twin’s devastated mum posted a picture of her babies on social media just days before the accident with the caption, “Sprinkles and all. Just want to play outside”.

Twin toddlers drown in pool — Source: Facebook

Police are investigating the twins’ deaths but don’t believe there was any foul play.

‘Taken from us too soon’

The twin’s godmother has started a GoFundMe account to help the Callazo family through this difficult time. Hundreds of people have collectively donated nearly $15,000 and shared their messages of love and support.

“These beautiful babies were taken from us too soon. Anything you can give to help with expenses would be greatly appreciated. We appreciate everyone’s love and support,” the fundraising page reads.

Backyard pool safety

This devastating accident is a terrible reminder of how important pool safety is. In Australia, we have very strict regulations in place but accidents can still happen. Just last year a little boy from Perth managed to scale two fences to get into the water. Joey Vines, who was autistic and non-verbal tragically passed away from his injuries in hospital.

In Australia, all pools must be fenced, even small inflatable or portable backyard pools if they can be filled with 30cm or more of water.

30cm may not seem like much, but it is enough for a child to drown in. Everyday household items such as buckets filled with water for the dog, shell pools or eskies with melted ice water after a party could all be potential drowning hazards if left unsupervised.

To stop young children from being able to squeeze themselves under or between gaps in a fence, or climb over a fence, your pool fence must at a minimum:

Be a minimum 1.2m high from the finished ground level.
Leave no gap from the bottom of the fence bigger than 10cm from the finished ground level.
Have no gaps of more than 10cm between any vertical bars in the fence.
If bars are horizontal climbable bars, they should be spaced at least 90cm apart.
No objects, external walls, house dwellings to be installed in a way that allows access over, under or through a pool fence, including garden furniture, window sills and retaining walls.

SOURCES & STATE BY STATE GUIDELINES TO BACKYARD POOL RULES

NSW | VIC | SA | WA | NT | TAS | ACT | QLD

Additional pool safety tips

Consider the colour of the swimsuit – Check out this swimsuit colour chart to see which colours are most visible in pools and lakes.
Reconsider floating devices in water – They give a false feeling of being able to stay afloat in the water.
Don’t leave toys in the pool – Children may try to grab them and fall in. Read this mum’s warning after her son nearly drowned under an inflatable toy.
Remove any pool toys, chairs, benches, etc that could act as a ‘step’ to get into the pool or open the gate.
Teach your children water safety skills and how important it is to avoid the pool if an adult isn’t there.
Learn how to respond in the case of an emergency. Have a read of St John’s First Aid Guide which goes through the motions of what to do if you come across an emergency water situation.

Most importantly, Always, always, always supervise your kids around water, whether it’s creeks, pools, oceans or lakes.

Limit distractions when the kids are playing in the water including mobile phones.
Nominate who is watching the children in the pool. Often, especially at parties or gatherings, adults will all be nearby but no one is the designated “supervisor’”.