Boy's drowning shocking, but experts say story is all too common

Two weeks ago, William Ugoka, 14, got a call from his mother, Mary, who was at work.

"What are you going to do?" she asked her oldest son at 4 p.m. -- the typical time she called to check in on him and William's 10-year-old brother, Grant.

'"I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but if I do anything, I'll play basketball,'" Mary recalled William saying.

Less than three hours later, William was dead -- drowned in an apartment complex swimming pool with his beloved Wilson basketball just a few feet away.

William, who had said he wanted to be a corporate attorney, was instead given a wake and funeral Thursday at the Rhodes Funeral Home, 1018 W. 79th St. in Chicago.

"The police told me he died in seconds," said Mary Ugoka, a native of Nigeria. "How can this be? I still can't believe it."

But what happened to William isn't atypical -- drownings can happen that fast, experts said.

Even strong individuals who know how to swim surrounded by friends, as in William's case, can find themselves in dire situations with only seconds to find help.

Receiving life-saving care immediately is key, but also important is staying out of swimming pools that aren't guarded by accredited individuals.

"When we arrest kids (for criminal trespass for swimming in closed apartment pools), they're usually indignant," said Arlington Heights Police Sgt. Tom Seleski. "They say, 'What did we do that was so wrong?' And we say, 'What happens if someone goes under and no one has (CPR) training?' "

The day of June 8 started out simply enough for William, who'd graduated that weekend from Holmes Junior High School in Mount Prospect.

He'd moved to Arlington Heights with his mother and brother from Chicago's South Side five months before so the family would be closer to her job as a nursing assistant in Elk Grove Village.

The teen, who practiced basketball every day, was looking forward to basketball camp this summer and Rolling Meadows High School in the fall.

Some time before 6 p.m., William and five other boys scaled the fence of a locked pool without an attendant on duty at the Tanglewood Apartments in Arlington Heights.

Management said the pool had been closed because of a lack of help and no one was supposed to be there at the time.

William did a back flip into the deep end, Seleski said.

What happened next bore all the hallmarks of an accidental drowning, which is what the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled his death to be.

It's likely he inhaled a gulp of water, which began a series of events that ended William's life, said Karen Chandra, a critical care nurse at Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora and an instructor in life-saving at Harper College in Palatine.

When someone begins to drown, it's not uncommon for people around not to initially notice. The victim can't yell out as water has replaced air in the lungs, Chandra said.

As William tried to call out for help, he probably inhaled more water, making his predicament worse, she said. Arms and legs are usually thrashing about, but since it's all underwater, it's not obvious to others that there's a problem.

Police reports say William's friends were unaware, and initially underestimated the trouble he was in. They thought he was just kidding around, police said.

While William was just feet away from the side of the pool, he didn't swim there, which is another typical reaction of drowning victims.

Panic takes hold as oxygen supplies are depleted in the brain. The thrashing in the pool further uses up oxygen, which causes distorted thinking, Chandra said.

At that point, someone must save the victim since he can't do it himself.

And that's apparently what happened with almost deadly consequences.

One of William's friends jumped in to save him but was almost pulled under as William grabbed onto him, Seleski said.

"We almost had another tragedy," he said.

To save a drowning person in a panicked state, it's best to wrap your arm around the neck from behind to pull the victim to the side, Chandra said.

William finally passed out and sunk to the bottom of the 9-foot-deep pool, his lungs completely filled with water.

At that point, his friends jumped in and pulled him to the surface. It proved quite difficult for the teens, who were small compared to William's 6-foot frame, costing valuable time, Seleski said.

William probably had less than three minutes to be revived to prevent brain damage, Chandra said. Death occurs in just a few more minutes.

In such situations, assessment is key using the ABCs -- Airways, Breathing and Circulation, Chandra said. To save someone, the airway must be cleared first. Then, breathing and circulation should be checked, before trying CPR, which must be administered as soon as possible, Chandra said.

William's friends called for help. A passer-by who had CPR training jumped the fence in an attempt to revive William, while someone else called 911. When paramedics arrived, the locked pool fence prevented them from getting in immediately, which cost more precious time.

By 6:45 p.m., William was pronounced dead.

"I don't want to get up in the morning now, but I have to for (Grant)," said Mary Ugoka, referring to her youngest son.

Ugoka says she'd like to talk with the experts herself, to get an understanding of how her son could have died so quickly. But that will have to wait as she copes with the funeral and its aftermath.

"Something big was taken away from me," she said, sadly -- "just like that."

Water safety tips

Between 6,000 and 8,000 people drown in the U.S. each year. Most drownings occur within a short distance of safety.

• A person who is drowning usually cannot shout for help, so be alert for signs of distress.

• Suspect an accident if you see someone in the water fully clothed.

• Watch for uneven swimming motions, which indicate a swimmer is getting tired.

• Realize that often the body sinks, and only the head shows above the water.

• To save a drowning person in a panicked state, wrap your arm around the neck from behind to avoid being pulled under, then pull the victim to the side.

Sources: U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health