A 20-month-old girl died after falling into an Innviertel swimming pool despite wearing a life jacket. How do family members cope with such a fate? The ‘Krone’ spoke to crisis experts who know what’s going on.
Mourning in the town of St. Aegidi in Innviertel: A week after a 20-month-old girl was found motionless in an inflatable pool by her father, she died at the Kepler University Hospital in Linz.
Although the little girl was wearing a life jacket and was splashing around with her five-year-old brother, the accident could not be prevented. The father, who was sitting a few meters away and immediately rushed over, was able to resuscitate his daughter together with the emergency doctor, but in the end the doctors lost the battle for the life of the one-and-a-half-year-old.
What happens after such a tragedy?
“In such acute crisis cases, we are alerted – often when a family member has died in a traumatic way,” explains Ursula Kettenhuber, head of the crisis intervention team of the Red Cross Upper Austria. “Then we ensure peace, stability, security and information.” The focus is on the needs of those affected, the social safety net of friends and family members, and clarifying organizational issues.
Missions with children are particularly difficult
“Our operations only last about three and a half hours, so in the very acute phase,” Kettenhuber explains. “We then hand it over to crisis help, psychologists or family members and friends.” Although all cases are bad, “operations with children are always particularly difficult for us.”
The First Aiders for the Soul have had 1,036 missions in the past year, and quite a few of them also involved crisis relief.
Nursery and Guilt
“If children are involved, we are usually alerted immediately,” says Katja Sieper, head of Crisis Aid Upper Austria. “We offer those affected ten hours of free care at home.” The psychosocial specialists support them in processing what has happened, for example how to deal with a now quiet children’s room or feelings of guilt.
“We cannot undo anything, but we help people who have lost someone to live well and to commemorate the deceased in a good way,” Sieper describes her task.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
