5-year-old Barstow boy dies after accident at hotel pool

Updated at 3:50 p.m. with additional information.

BARSTOW • A 5-year-old boy from Barstow was pronounced dead at Barstow Community Hospital after an accident at a hotel pool Friday.

The Barstow Police department responded to a report of a possible drowning at the California Inn at 7:53 p.m. Friday, according to city spokesman John Rader. Rader said that when officers responded to the scene they found family members performing CPR on Kalob Kilgore, 5. The officers continued to perform CPR until paramedics arrived and took Kilgore to Barstow Community Hospital, according to Rader. He was pronounced dead at 8:55 p.m. at the hospital.

Rader said the family had rented rooms at the California Inn to use the pool and air conditioning because of the recent heat wave. Family and friends were reported to be around the pool during the incident, according to Rader.

“With the extreme heat, the BPD has had a surge in trespassing related to pools,” Rader said in an email. “This particular family did the right thing and rented several rooms for the purpose of using the pool.”

The coroner has not announced a cause of death. Rader said the Barstow Police Department is investigating the incident.

Contact the writer:
(760) 256-4126 or dheldreth@desertdispatch.com

Pool Safety Tips
• Assign an adult to supervise children in and around the swimming pool and spa.
• Maintain constant eye-to-eye supervision with children in and around the swimming pool and spa.
• Remove children from the swimming pool and spa area for any distraction such as a telephone call, use of restroom, etc.
• Have a fence enclosure that isolates your swimming pool and spa from the home, play areas, front and side yards and the neighbor’s yard.
• Learn how to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
• Enroll your child in swimming lessons.
Source: www.abcpoolsafety.org