The death of a six-year-old boy after he was pulled from the Rideau River near Hog’s Back on Thursday has left nearby residents shaken.
Ottawa police say the child was reported missing near Riverside Drive and Hog’s Back Road shortly after 5 p.m. He was located in the water a short time later and brought to shore, where bystanders began CPR.
Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps said the boy was found in cardiac arrest and that paramedics continued resuscitation efforts alongside Ottawa firefighters while transporting him to hospital. Police later confirmed the child died in hospital.
Deschamps said he does not believe the nearby Hog’s Back Falls played a role in the incident.
On Friday, Kathryn Cobbler, who moved to the neighbourhood two months ago, was walking along a path beside the river with her young child in a stroller when she learned about the boy’s death.
“It’s just devastating. I can’t even imagine how the parents are feeling,” she said.
The incident has Cobbler concerned about protection near the water.
“It’s a very beautiful, aesthetic place but at the same time I’d like to see more guardrails and more safety measures in place,” she said.
Cobbler said she has often wondered whether some sections of shoreline leave too little separation between children and the water.
Adrian Cormier, who works in the area, said the death struck him as a parent.
“It’s just awful news and it makes me think about my kids and what I would do,” he said.
Ottawa Public Health said the incident serves as a reminder that drowning can happen “quickly” and “quietly,” even in familiar areas.
During a recent drowning-prevention event, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Trevor Arnason said parents and caregivers need to maintain constant supervision around water.
“Always keep children within arms’ reach, in and around the water. Always,” Arnason said.
He also stressed that children should never be left unattended near any body of water. “Never, and I mean never, leave a child alone, whether it is in the bathtub, a swimming pool or any body of water such as rivers or lakes,” Arnason said.
Arnason said open-water environments can present risks that are not always obvious.
“Unlike pools, open water has additional risks to consider such as weather-related changes, and hidden hazards like rocks or sudden drop offs and fast flowing currents such that even strong swimmers and paddlers may overestimate their abilities in these conditions,” he said.
Ottawa police said support services have been made available to the child’s family and emergency personnel involved in the response as investigators continue to look at the circumstances surrounding the boy’s death.
