Toddler siblings released from hospital after nearly drowning in North Miami pool

Siblings were under water for 2 to 10 minutes, authorities say

NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – A brother and sister who nearly drowned in a North Miami swimming pool Tuesday night were released from the hospital on Thursday, their father said.

One-year-old Messiah and his 2-year-old sister, Safari, were pulled from the pool by their uncle after being under water between two and 10 minutes.

The siblings were unresponsive and weren't breathing.

Kevin Desrosiers said he performed CPR on his daughter and their uncle and mother performed CPR on his son until paramedics arrived.

"The water was just coming out," the children's mother, Dria McKenzie, said. "There was no coughing. It was just coming out of their mouth as the CPR was being performed. As their breath started to come back, I guess the water started to come out of their mouths."

Desrosiers told Local 10 News that he believes that a relative accidentally left the back door open when his children wandered to the pool. He said he never formally learned CPR. 

"You learn things throughout life," he said. "I didn't go to school for CPR or nothing like that, but I been around people who've done it and it's just experience." 

The children were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center in critical condition, but were upgraded to stable condition within a day.

Now the parents are encouraging other parents to learn CPR in case their child ever needs it.

Desrosiers said he is extremely grateful that his children survived and are back to their normal selfs.

"They’re extra happy. They make it seem like nothing ever happened, so we're just blessed," he said.


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.