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Terrifying footage shows toddler almost drowning while wearing a floatie


Concerned grandparents have demonstrated just how dangerous floatation devices can be and discovered there’s a big difference between life jackets and buoyancy vests.

Holly Mueller took to her Facebook page to upload a video of her two-year-old granddaughter, Marissa, wearing what she and her husband, Dan, thought was a life jacket.

In fact, the product, which looks just like a life jacket is actually a buoyancy device and is only meant to keep people afloat as they are treading water or swimming.

In the video, Marissa can be seen jumping into her grandad’s arms into the pool, wearing the buoyancy vest.

A grandad has demonstrated what happened when he put his granddaughter in the pool wearing what he thought was a life jacket. Photo: Facebook/Holly Mueller
A grandad has demonstrated what happened when he put his granddaughter in the pool wearing what he thought was a life jacket. Photo: Facebook/Holly Mueller

As soon as her grandfather lets her go, she flips over and ends up face down in the pool.

“You would think this would save your child. We used this life jacket in our pool and it absolutely tried to drown our child,” he can be heard saying in the video.

However, the ‘life jacket’ he’s talking about is actually a buoyancy vest, which both devices being completely different.

The video has now been watched over 18 million times on Facebook, and people were quick to point out this fact to the concerned grandparents.

“It says on the label he so clearly read that it’s not a life jacket but in fact a buoyancy aids. Life jacket and Buoyancy aids are two different things folks,” one commenter on the video said.

According to the SeaSafe Systems website, there is a lot of confusion out there about how different both products are.

Straight away, the little girl turned over with her face in the water. Photo: Facebook/Holly Mueller
Straight away, the little girl turned over with her face in the water. Photo: Facebook/Holly Mueller
One commenter pointed out that the product is actually a buoyancy device and not a life jacket. Photo: Facebook/Holly Mueller
One commenter pointed out that the product is actually a buoyancy device and not a life jacket. Photo: Facebook/Holly Mueller

“Buoyancy aids cannot be guaranteed to turn an unconscious body over and it will not support your body in the water,” the site reads.

“Lifejackets, if properly worn and in good condition, are designed to keep your airways clear of water, even if you are unconscious or injured.”

The South Australian Government website also notes that a life jacket ‘has sufficient flotation to support body and head’, whereas a buoyancy vest is ‘designed for high-speed water sports such as water skiing, aqua-planing, operating PWC and sail boarding.’

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