10-year-old drowns in Campbell Co.

WSLS News Staff & Lynchburg News & Advance Staff
Published: September 3, 2008

Updated 6:02 p.m.
By Scott Leamon (In Campbell Co.)

Campbell County sheriff’s office Capt. Cindy Caldwell said the sheriff’s office will not release the name of the victim since she was a juvenile.

Caldwell said no adults were near the pool at the time of the incident.

Updated 2:24 p.m.

By Scott Leamon (In Campbell Co.)

Campbell County Emergency Dispatch has released information from the 911 call about the child’s drowning.

The call came in at 6:41 p.m. Tuesday night.

Caller told 911 operator that the victim had dove into the deep end of the pool.

The caller told 911 that someone was on scene performing CPR, it was helping.

911 records show the emergency dispatcher then provided CPR instructions to the caller to make sure they were performing it correctly.

EMS crews arrived on the scene five minutes after the call.  They took the girl to Lynchburg General Hospital.

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Updated 1:26 p.m.

By Scott Leamon (In Campbell Co.)

School leaders say the family of the girl who drowned had recently moved to the area.  The girl had just begun attending classes at Lessville Road elementary last month.

Campbell County school leaders sent five extra counselours to the school.  They also will send a letter home with students, to explain the situation to parents.

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Original story 11:26 a.m.

By Lynchburg News & Advance staff

A 10-year-old girl drowned in a backyard swimming pool in Campbell County Tuesday night, officials said today.

Leesville Road Elementary Principal Kathy Bowles said the girl was a fifth-grader at Leesville Road.

Bowles called the drowning an accident and said the girl was swimming with two middle school students, one of whom called 911.

The girl was taken to the hospital, Bowles said, but died last night.

Notification of school faculty and staff was immediate. The school has a crisis phone tree in place and many learned the news Tuesday night.

Bowles said school officials held a meeting Wednesday morning before school to talk with staff about the incident. Extra counselors are at the school.