4-year-old drowns at Splashville water park, prompting temporary closure
STEPHENVILLE (CBSNewsTexas.com) - A community is in mourning after a 4-year-old drowned at the Splashville water park in Stephenville on Saturday.
Arriving officers found lifeguards performing CPR on the child just before 8 p.m. Paramedics took the child to the Texas Health Stephenville emergency room. By 9 p.m doctors told police the child had died.
A news release detailed what happened, noting that Splashville closed to the public that day at 6 p.m. It then reopened for a private party. The water park was below its maximum capacity of 660 people, according to the release.
All of the lifeguards on-duty are certified through the American Red Cross, which includes training in first aid, CPR, and AED.
Stephenville City Manager Jason King said on Monday, June 26 that "In an effort to move as quickly and thoroughly as possible to gain answers to questions posed surrounding this incident, the City of Stephenville has asked an outside law firm to assist in investigating the circumstances of this incident as well as to review all operational policies and procedures relating to the operation of Splashville. This investigation is in addition to the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Stephenville Police Department and agencies assisting them."
Investigators with the Stephenville Police Department, Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden and the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Ranger Division are looking into the circumstances of the drowning.
Splashville will remain closed during the investigative processes and consideration of reopening will occur pending the outcomes of the investigation.
Currently, all indicators are that the drowning was a tragic accident, according to police.
Splashville is about 70 miles southwest of Fort Worth in Erath County.