4-year-old boy dies after North Lauderdale pool emergency

A 4-year-old boy died Friday morning after being pulled from a pool in North Lauderdale, where dispatchers received a 911 call at 10:08 a.m. about a possible drowning at a home near the 1600 block of Southwest 63rd Terrace. North Lauderdale Fire Rescue and Broward Sheriff’s deputies responded, and the child was taken to Broward Health Coral Springs, where he was later pronounced dead.

Investigators said the boy wandered off and fell into the pool, and a family member found him in the water. Officials said it was unclear how long he had been underwater. His identity has not been released.

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4 in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health. Broward County health officials say the majority of local drownings happen when a child walks out the door unsupervised.

Since 1999, Broward County Parks’ SWIM Central program has enrolled more than 700,000 children in water-safety programs and distributed more than 20,000 discount coupons for swim lessons. The coupons are valued at $55 for children and $60 for adults. Florida’s state swimming lesson voucher program was created by SB 544 in 2024 and signed into law in April 2024.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends multiple layers of protection, including close supervision, four-sided fencing with self-closing and self-latching gates, swim instruction, life jackets for boating, and CPR and early rescue. Pool safety measures also include pool fences, door alarms, self-latching gates and CPR readiness.