Grandmother discovered him after she went to retrieve toys

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

A 4-year-old boy drowned Monday afternoon at his home on Sunnyside Gott Road.

Travis Eugene Upton had been playing with other children in a pool earlier in the day, according to Sheriffs Detective Roger Castle.

The children all went in the house, but Travis soon followed his grandmother outside.

(Travis) brought his grandmother an oatmeal cake and said, I brought you an oatmeal cake, Grandma so this was a pretty good boy, Castle said.

A short time later, Travis and his grandmother went back inside the house to get drinks and Travis later wandered back outside into the pool.

It was his grandmother who found Travis as she was watering plants in the yard a few minutes later, just before 4 p.m., according to Castle.

She said she was going to remove some of the play toys from the pool and she saw him lying face down in the pool, Castle said. Its just an unfortunate thing. Everybody assumed the kids were all playing together and didnt think he would go out there and get in the pool.

Travis is one of an estimated 250 children under age 5 who drown each year, according to statistics from the National Safe Kids Campaign. Most of those incidents occurred in backyard pools and studies have shown that usually an adult was nearby but not watching the child.

In the first of two national hearings on the issue of pool and spa safety, the Consumer Product Safety Commission looked for guidance Monday to launch a public education campaign. Some parents and safety experts are pushing for mandatory safety measures such as pool fences, alarms and devices that will shut off high-suction drains that can pull a child under. Such a drain was not a factor in Mondays drowning case.

Most children who drown have been missing from sight for less than five minutes, said Lisa Sowders, data specialist with the Barren River Health Department.

Nine people, both children and adults, drowned in Warren County from 1997 to 2001, with a total of 24 in the Barren River region, according to the departments most recent statistics.

When a childs missing, always check the pool first, Sowders said. Never leave a child unattended, even for a minute.

Sowders added that fencing around the pool can prevent children from climbing into pools, as can the locking or removal of access staircases and ladders when the pool is not in use.

The City-County Planning and Zoning Commission of Warren County has several standards for all swimming pools that are three feet in depth or more, according to zoning administrator Daniel Faller.

Castle estimated the water Upton drowned in was about 4 feet deep.

Those standards stipulate how close to the property line a pool can be and require that they are enclosed by a fence or barrier a minimum of 4 feet in height. The opening in the fencing should not be large enough for a child to pass through, with the exception of a gate, he said.

In addition to having fencing or alarms in place, Sowders said knowledge of CPR and having a phone in the pool area can also help save a life when every minute counts.

Funeral arrangements for Travis, who is the son of Stephen Payne and Heather Renae Upton, are incomplete, and are under the direction of J.C. Kirby and Son Funeral Home, Broadway Avenue chapel.

The Associated Press contributed information for this article.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700