The grieving family of a 5-year-old Texas boy is urging parents of autistic children to teach them basic water safety after the tragic drowning of their son a few days ago.
Jeremiah Turner fell into a neighbor’s backyard pool on March 10 after wandering from his grandmother’s yard through an unlocked gate.
“For years it was locked. For years the fences were up, so we had no worries in our mind that he would ever find that,” the boy’s mother said.
“He was autistic and he loved to play. He loved to explore everywhere. He was always jumping and running in circles and yelling. He was really beautiful. He lit up the world. He touched many people.”
The boy’s father pulled him from the water and he was rushed to the hospital where they “got his heartbeat back, lost it, they got it back again.”
After spending four days at the hospital, Jeremiah was sadly declared brain dead.
The National Autism Association warned that accidental drowning made up 91 percent of all fatalities of autistic children under the age of 14 between 2009 and 2011.
“The leading cause of death for children with autism is drowning, and for some reason, the water just calls to them,” water safety activist Pamela Allen said.
“They can hear the water. They are hypersensitive. They have sensory issues, of course, but their hearing is just amazing. So when they hear water, they’re drawn to it.”
