Mission Viejo Parents Rescue Toddler From Backyard Spa

A Mission Viejo toddler is in good condition after nearly drowning in an uncovered backyard spa Wednesday morning, authorities said.

The girl’s mother found her floating face down in the spa shortly after 10 a.m. at a home on Via San Diego, where her family was visiting, said Paul Hunter of the Orange County Fire Authority. The father revived the girl, Hunter said, and the 2-year-old was crying by the time paramedics arrived.

Paramedics transported the toddler, whose name was not released, to Children’s Hospital at Mission. Hospital spokeswoman Amy Waddell said the girl had no serious injuries and was released Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s important to keep an eye on your kids and realize that you can’t leave them unattended,” said the girl’s mother, who refused to give her name for publication. “We were really lucky. Someone was watching over us.”

Last weekend, a young mother and her 4-year-old daughter drowned in a pool at an Aliso Viejo apartment complex. Rescuers resuscitated the girl and put her on life support at a local hospital, but she later died.

Since 1990, 87 children between 1 and 4 have drowned in the county, but deaths have decreased in recent years, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.