Boy, 2, found unresponsive in Bradenton pool

BRADENTON -- A 2-year-old boy found unresponsive in a Bradenton swimming pool Sunday afternoon was fighting for his life three hours later at Blake Medical Center.

"He was alive and had a heartbeat at Blake and they were thinking maybe to transfer him to All-Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg," first responder Lt. Brian Thiers of the Bradenton Police Department said shortly before 6 p.m. Sunday.

The toddler was pulled out of the pool by family members who administered CPR until the Manatee County Emergency Medical Services and the City of Bradenton Fire Rescue arrived at the single family home in the 4000 block of 27th Avenue West, Bradenton to assist, Thiers said.

At 3 p.m., public safety, including Thiers, received a 911 call about the possible drowning of a child.

"Apparently, the boy and his mother were from out of state and visiting family in Bradenton," Thiers said. "They had gone swimming during the past few days when the weather was great but didn't go when it turned cold today."

The family was getting ready to have dinner and noticed the boy in the pool, Thiers said.

"I do not know how long the boy was in the pool," Thiers said. "It may have been five minutes or it may have been that he was missing that long and was in the pool a shorter time. I do know that one family member pulled him out and another did CPR and our crews all got there very fast to help."

The pool had all the proper safety features but the protective net was down when Thiers arrived.

"But it may have been taken down during the rescue," Thiers said.

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Boy, 2, found unresponsive in Bradenton pool ."