Swimming accident puts boy in hospital

An 11-year old boy nearly drowned Thursday morning at the Jackson city pool during swim team practice and now a machine is breathing for him at a St. Louis hospital as his family awaits word on possible brain damage.

Andrew Tyler was rushed from Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, followed by his family and friends.

Andrew is the son of Ed and Becky Tyler of Jackson. He is a member of the city's Barracuda swim team and was practicing "block exercises" -- jumping into the water from starting blocks -- when the accident happened shortly before 8 a.m., police Lt. Rodney Barnes said.

As of late Thursday, the boy was still in critical condition, according to his grandfather, Charles Breeden of Sikeston, Mo.

"They told us the next 72 hours are critical," Breeden said. "His brain will start swelling and he's not doing very well."

Doctors are worried Andrew didn't get any oxygen to his brain but don't know for how long.

'They don't know if he was under one minute or five," Breeden said. "They're not giving us a lot of hope. They're not wanting to build us up only to be let down. But his heartbeat is good and he's got oxygen in his blood."

Still, the test results for brain damage are more than two days away and nothing is certain.

"His chances of coming out of this without any kind of brain damage is slim," Breeden said.

Asthma attack unlikely

At first, there were concerns Andrew suffered an asthma attack, but doctors don't consider that a likely cause now, the grandfather said.

"They don't think that's what it was," he said. "They kind of think it was a freak deal with him taking in a gulp of water and then going into a panic and closing his esophagus."

The swim team took to the water at 7:45 a.m., and Andrew took several turns without complaining of feeling ill, Barnes said. A teammate noticed Andrew didn't resurface after his last jump and quickly pulled the boy out. Swim coaches performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived.

As of late Thursday, Andrew was still unable to breathe on his own.

"His mother is asking everyone to pray for Andrew," said his aunt, Gerri Norton of St. Louis. "We're praying and hoping. He's got his reflexes, though. They hit his knee with a rubber hammer and he responded to it."

This isn't the first drowning incident at the pool. On June 16, 1995, 16-year-old Jackson High School student Lori Anne Niswonger of rural Cape Girardeau died after suffering an asthma attack while practicing with the city swim team.

Staff writer Bob Miller contributed to this report.

mwells@semissourian.com

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