‘I heard a splash’: Pasco County family pushes pool safety after child nearly drowns

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A Pasco County family is sharing the lessons they learned about pool safety after finding their baby girl nearly drowning in a pool.

“I heard a splash, a scream, and I immediately knew she was in the pool,” Tamara Zanvardine said. “My gut just said something was wrong.”

19-month-old Zoey Zanvardine nearly drowned in the pool of their backyard.

The pool gate wasn’t shut properly when the child wandered away and fell inside.

“Our gate didn’t shut properly,” Zanvardine said. “I didn’t know the gate was resting on the lock.  It wasn’t locked and in a matter two minutes and 30 seconds this all happened.”

Neighbors raced to their house to help save Zoey by performing CPR as first responders rushed to the scene.

“Black and blue, she had vomit on her lips, she was limp I can’t get that image out of my head,” Zanvardine said. “Her eyes were open she looked dead.”

“I felt like something was there saying ‘we’re not going to let this baby die’ and I just in put everything I had,” said Christa Armbrust, a neighbor who performed CPR. “It was a relief to realize everything is going to be OK.”

Zoey was quickly flown to the hospital and admitted to the ICU as she continued to fight to stay alive.

One week later, Zoey has made a full recovery and is back at home with her family.

“I just don’t ever want this to happen to anyone else because it was by far the worst experience I’ve ever had in my life thinking that we would lose her,” Zanverdine said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said drowning deaths have increased over the past several years. Between 2020 and 2022, 4,500 people drowned each year in the United States — up about 500 from 2019.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children between ages 1 and 4, according to the CDC. Adults 65 and older had the second highest rate.

The CDC has shared tips about water safety and drowning prevention on its website .

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