A three-year-old boy tragically drowned in a jacuzzi at a busy hotel kids club in Cork .
An inquest into the death of three-year-old Ronan Kennedy has revealed his heartbreaking final moments at the Quality Hotel in Youghal, Co Cork.
Dublin Coroner’s Court heard that the little boy drowned as people passing by were unaware he had climbed into the active jacuzzi, Louise Roseingrave of the Herald reports.
CCTV footage from July 13 2015, showed Ronan walk out of the changing room area and straight to the jacuzzi. Garda James Heffernan told the inquest that he had reviewed the footage taken at the hotel pool,
“He walked straight ahead from the door to the lip of the jacuzzi. He stepped into the seat of the jacuzzi and then he stepped directly into the middle of it.
Unfortunately he is not visible for a number of minutes until he drifts out into the pool where he is found.”
Witness Liam Moloney, who was at the pool with his son and grandson, found the young boy in the water and raised the alarm,
“I saw this little lad, I thought he was swimming underwater at first. I touched his head and lifted him out of the pool.”
The inquest heard that kids club staff were occupied placing armbands on children next to the pool at the time. Ronan was taken to Cork University Hospital and later moved to Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin, where he passed away the following day.
His parents Bridget and John Kennedy, from Templederry in Tipperary, have called on the Government to immediately introduce regulations for swimming pools. In a statement, the Kennedy family pleaded for protocols to be put in place to prevent another tragedy,
“Ronan was a magical little boy. He loved to play outside, go farming and he adored his food. He was full of life, love and was extremely affectionate.
This cannot happen to any other child. We ask that proper protocols be put in place regarding child safety within swimming pools.
We hope no other family has to carry the pain that we do on a daily basis.
We believe that regulations have been promised and we would call upon the Government to deal with this promptly as another summer season is upon us and immediate changes need to be made.”
The coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, recorded a verdict of death by drowning and commended the Kennedy family’s decision to donate their son’s organs.
The Kennedy family have raised over €40,000 for Temple Street Hospital since Ronan’s death.
