TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) — A happy ending after a close call after parents found their daughter lifeless in their backyard pool and rescued by two neighbors.
It’s an evening one family and their community near Tampa will never forget.
“We never thought this would never happen to us and it did,” said Tamara Zanvardine who is Zoey’s mother.
Early August, a dad frantically yelled out to his neighbors, begging anyone for help.
“She was blue. White eyes and just a tragic, tragic experience. We thought that she was dead,” said Dave Zanvardine who is Zoey’s dad.
Behind this screen door was 19-month-old Zoey Zanvardine, lying lifeless.
“We kind of remember bits and pieces of it,” said Dave.
Just two and half minutes before that moment, Zoey wandered to her playhouse on the backyard patio. She saw a ball in the pool and fell in. The pool gate malfunctioned and didn’t keep Zoey out of the pool area.
“Unfortunately it didn’t close appropriately. It was rusting on the latch,” said Tamara.
Zoey’s mom called 911.
“Now, how fast I ran through that gate and jumped in with all of my clothes,” said Dave.
Two neighbors, who heard the father’s cries, sprinted over. One is an emergency nurse and the other, a 20-year combat medic Army veteran.
“Realized how young she was. I knew I had to do something,” said Davie Lampman, an Army veteran. “In combat it was 20-year-old, 22-year-olds, so a lot different experience.”
Together the neighbors helped the toddler until first responders arrived.
Since then, Zoey has made a full recovery.
“I feel like she’s kind of our miracle baby. We did IVF for our first baby and we were told we would struggle to conceive naturally and we did. So she’s kind of a fighter to begin with,” said Tamara.
On Saturday, the family thanked their community with a party and shared life-saving advice to all parents.
“It only takes two, three minutes and it’s quiet. You’re not going to hear someone screaming, crying. Fortunately, we noticed her just in the knick of time,” said Dave.
We now have a pool alarm. We keep the gate locked. For me, I think it’s important for people to have at least two points of protection,” said Tamara.
The family hopes to inspire other parents of young children to take precautionary measures of their own if they own a pool.
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