Before teaching his granddaughter how to swim, Dan Mueller thought he was taking all of the necessary safety precautions to prevent an accidental drowning. He had a safety-tested and approved life vest for when 2-year-old Marissa got in the water and kept their above-ground pool securely blocked off with a locked gate so she wouldn't be able to sneak in unsupervised. But this grandpa from Nevada was left shocked after witnessing the one product he trusted to help save her life in the event of an emergency almost drowned her as soon as she entered the pool. He's now sharing the the terrifying video on Facebook and after the footage went viral, eagle-eyed commenters spotted a common mistake that all parents need to know.
Mueller shared details about the "UL approved life jacket" on Facebook that he claims nearly drowned his daughter.
To prove how dangerous this jacket can be, Mueller showed exactly how he strapped Marissa in and even weighed her on camera to show that her 28 pounds falls within the limit. "Less than 50 pounds, it should be suitable for, well I’ll show you what happens when you put on this UL listed life jacket on a child," he says. "This one has what’s supposed to be the safety flap which would keep the child’s head above water. But when you put this on a child that it’s rated for [the safety flap] rolls up, buries the child’s head in the water."
As soon as the toddler is placed in the water, she's flipped with her head pressed into the water.
Mueller brought Marissa out the pool with the camera rolling to show parents what happened as soon as a she hit the water with this safety device. During the "demonstration," he lets go of Marissa and within seconds, she's flipped to her stomach as her head seems to be forced under water. He quickly assists her and repeats it three times to prove his important point.
"If your child was to fall out of your boat, you’d really hope that this would save your child’s life, but this is what would happen with this UL approved life jacket," he says. "They’d fall in the water, and it rolls them right on to their face."
"You would think this would save your child. We used this life jacket in our pool and it absolutely tried to drown our child," he says.
But after the video went viral people caught the important — and common — misunderstanding that was causing this to happen.
People are pointing out that this isn't a life jacket -- it's a personal floatation device and parents need to understand the difference.
In the video, Mueller shows the "life jacket's" fine print to highlight how such a regulated safety object could be so dangerous. However many online were quick to point out that Mueller missed that this isn't a life jacket — it's a personal safety device (PDF) which could explain why the toddler was flipping in the water.
"A life jacket is NOT the same as a personal flotation device (PFD), although in many cases they look very similar," according to Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. Although the terms "life jacket" and "personal flotation device (PFD)" are frequently used interchangeably, there are important differences between to the two products.
"A life jacket is designed to turn an unconscious person from face down to face up in the water, allowing them to breathe," their website states. "A life jacket is the best choice if your child is unable to swim or is a weak swimmer. It will give your child the best possible chance for survival should they end up in the water unexpectedly."
However, PFDs or bouncy aids are recommended for established and confident swimmers with it's main objective being to aid in keeping a conscious person's body afloat with the floatation material on the back.
Hopefully parents learn from both the grandpa's PSA and the helpful commenters' explanation.
Per the United States Coast Guard, it's also important for parents to understand that not all types of floatation devices may not turn an unconscious child face up in the water and having the correct fit is also essential when it comes to saving a kid's life!
