Girl drowns in Gurnee hotel's pool despite lifesaving efforts
Two off-duty paramedics tried to rescue a young girl who drowned Thursday in a Gurnee hotel's indoor swimming pool where she had been swimming with family, authorities said.
Rihanna Alegria, 4, of Rockford died from injuries consistent with drowning, Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd said Friday.
The Gurnee Fire Department got a call around 8:50 p.m. Thursday about a child found unresponsive at Holiday Inn Gurnee Convention Center on Grand Avenue, officials said. But even before crews arrived, the two off-duty paramedics worked to save Rihanna.
"There were some off-duty firemen or paramedics that happened to be there and pulled her out of the pool," Gurnee Deputy Police Chief Willie Meyer said.
One of the rescuers was hotel guest Leah Sevey of Green Bay, Wisconsin - an emergency medical technician licensed in Wisconsin but not currently working in the field, Meyer added. He didn't yet have permission to release the second off-duty paramedic's name.
"They were not together and didn't know each other," Meyer said.
Sevey could not be reached for comment Friday.
Paramedics performed CPR on the unconscious girl before she was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where she was pronounced dead at 9:35 p.m. Thursday, said Battalion Chief James Pellitteri of the Gurnee Fire Department.
Hotel general manager Stephen McCulley declined to comment.
Police were interviewing witnesses Friday.
"We're trying to see if this is a police matter, even," Meyer said.
Gurnee Fire Chief Fred Friedl said the department is concerned about Rihanna's family and those who tried to save her; a fire department chaplain was brought in to address the girl's death Friday.
Friedl said a couple of the paramedics who worked on Rihanna are parents of young children.
"It was tough for the guys," he said. "It was tough for (Rihanna's) family."
American Red Cross of Chicago and Northern Illinois last month announced a national campaign to reduce the drowning rate by 50 percent over the next three to five years. A nationwide Red Cross survey shows most young children and teenagers cannot perform basic swimming safety skills.
Water safety tips from the Red Cross include the following:
• Never leave a young child unattended near water.
• Teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
• Do not trust a child's life to another youngster.
• Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but don't rely on them exclusively.