A family’s vacation turned into a heartbreak in a matter of seconds when London Marie, 11, and her brother Wadale, 14, tragically drowned in the pool of the hotel they were staying at while participating in a popular challenge. underwater swimming. Her mother, Brittney McWhite, who also has four other children, had temporarily left the siblings unsupervised in the pool area to prepare food for a barbecue at their New Jersey hotel, confident in their swimming skills.
In a heartbreaking interview with FOX 29, the devastated mother recounted the horror of discovering her children “at the bottom of the pool” upon her return. The young couple had been playing an impressive variation of Marco Polo, a game that took a fatal turn.
Despite being quickly rescued from the water and receiving emergency medical attention, London and Wadale sadly passed away following the incident. In the wake of this tragedy, Brittney has issued a dire warning to all parents as the summer season approaches, urging them to “always have a pair of eyes. Prevent your children from playing and make sure the pool is safe. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it because once you lose your child, it’s hard.”
The siblings were put on a ventilator in desperate hopes of recovery, but after a week, both Brittney and the boys’ father realized there would be no improvement. With great regret, Brittney revealed emotionally on Sunday“Keeping my son connected to a machine for the rest of his life is not the ideal situation any parent would want for their children, so today my father and I decided to end life support.”
The “devastated” mother found some comfort in knowing that her children were “at peace”, recognizing that, although they were complete opposites, they simply could not live without each other. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has warned that children can drown in as little as five centimeters of water, meaning even a shallow garden pond or paddling pool poses a significant risk to unsupervised children.
They have recommended that families planning to spend time at the pool or beach this summer check beforehand for safety measures, such as the presence of lifeguards and fences. They also stress the importance of teaching children to swim and instilling in them the rule of never swimming alone.