A tragic accident in Greensboro has local officials urging all residents to prioritize pool safety after a young child drowned in a neighbor’s backyard pool on Saturday afternoon.

According to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a home on Thayer Circle about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, after reports that a 4-year-old boy had been found unresponsive in a pool.

Thayer Circle is off of West Gate City Boulevard just north of Grandover Resort.

The homeowner discovered the child unconscious and not breathing. Emergency responders, including deputies and fire personnel, performed CPR until EMS arrived; however, despite their best efforts, the child was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers expressed his condolences to the child’s family, calling the loss “devastating.” The sheriff also thanked the first responders from his office, the Pinecroft-Sedgefield Fire Department, and Guilford County Emergency Services for their quick actions.

Now, with warmer weather on the way and public and private pool season not far off, local officials are reminding residents to take extra precautions around pools to prevent similar tragedies.

The Sheriff’s Office emphasized that young children are drawn to water and that they often don’t recognize the danger – making constant supervision of children around pools absolutely crucial.

The Office also recommended other safety measures, such as pool covers, locked gates with alarms, and removing toys or floats that might tempt children to enter the water.

In addition, parents are being encouraged to enroll their kids in swimming lessons and have emergency flotation devices and a phone near any pool activity in case of an accident.

Always keep in mind that drownings can happen suddenly and silently.

The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the incident and no further details have been released at this time.

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