Toddler accidentally drowns in Palm Harbor pool
PALM HARBOR (FOX 13) - A Palm Harbor toddler drowned in a neighbor’s pool on Wednesday evening.
Pinellas deputies say 2-year-old Robert Kibitlewski, was with his grandmother, Janice, in the front yard of their residence on Sugar Bear Trail. She was gathering her mail when she noticed Robert wasn’t in the yard.
Janice went inside the home and asked Robert’s mother, Rachelle, if she had seen him. But he never came inside the home. They began searching for him in the neighborhood and called the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office about 15 minutes later.
Janice found Robert in a neighbor’s pool and pulled him out. She performed CPR until deputies and paramedics arrived.
Robert was transported to Mease Countryside Hospital, but died there. Detectives say this appears to be an accident.
This is the second accidental drowning this week in Pinellas County. On Saturday, a grandmother noticed her 7-year-old autistic grandson wasn't inside their home. Relatives and neighbors searched for him and the child was found in a neighbor’s pool and later died.
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According to the CDC, there are about 10 accidental drowning deaths every day – 1 out of 5 are children. It is the fifth leading cause of accidental deaths in the country.