WEATHERFORD, Texas (KTVT) – A Texas mother says the Coast Guard-approved life jacket she recently bought for her 6-year-old son filled with water while they were at the lake, nearly drowning him.
When the summer starts to sizzle, Ashley McCombs often loads up her sons and heads to Lake Weatherford. Sunday was one of those days.
“We did a little bit of fishing, and we got in the water; they had their little swimsuits on,” McCombs said.
She thought she was doing everything right to keep her kids safe by keeping them in sight. Her 6-year-old, Oaks, was within arm’s reach and wearing a life jacket – but then, the unexpected happened.
“He, all of a sudden, just went missing. We could not find him,” McCombs said. “At that point, he had been pulled under the water because his life jacket had filled with water.”
Mother Ashley McCombs says her 6-year-old son, Oaks, nearly drowned after his life jacket filled with water, pulling him under while in the lake.(Source: Ashley McCombs, KTVT via CNN)
The mother says Oaks was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with non-lethal drowning. He was traumatized but will be OK.
McCombs was also shaken by the close call. She described her son’s life jacket after the incident as “just very heavy” and “pooling water out of it.” She claims this isn’t the first time that’s happened with an X2O Sports life jacket.
“Actually, this is the second life jacket with that same brand that did that,” McCombs said. “But I didn’t even think twice about it. I thought, ‘Oh, maybe it’s just a faulty thing.’”
Experts say there are several reasons a life jacket can fail. It may be poorly fitted or not secured correctly, or you may be using the wrong type of life jacket for the water activity you’re engaged in. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, more buoyancy is needed for offshore activities than for swimming in calm water.
But McCombs says none of that explains why a brand-new life jacket, fitted for a 6-year-old, suddenly began to fill with water. A receipt shows she bought the Coast Guard-approved life jacket at a big box store less than two weeks ago.
“I’m incredibly upset,” McCombs said, “because what if I’ve lost my child or somebody else loses their child?”
Now, her message to other parents is clear: “I would say watch your children. Don’t trust the life jacket. Don’t trust friends around you. Keep your eyes on your children at all times.”
And she had this to say to the manufacturer:
“It’s not like something simple not working, you know? It’s somebody’s life that could be taken,” McCombs said. “Parents are trusting you.”
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