A tense meeting between the parents, the lifeguard, and local councillors took place on Tuesday at the Vianden municipality to clarify the circumstances in which little Jayden was narrowly saved from drowning in the local swimming pool on 30 August.

A family in Vianden was left shaken after a near-drowning incident involving their young son, Jayden, at a local pool on 30 August, prompting accusations of negligence against the municipality.

Jayden's mother, still recovering from the ordeal, shared that her son is now "doing very well." However, tensions remain high despite a closed-door meeting held at Vianden's town hall on Tuesday morning to address concerns from all parties.

The meeting did little to quell frustrations, with lingering questions about whether the rescue was handled appropriately or if more could have been done to prevent the incident.

Lack of gratitude?

Jayden's parents and Lili, the family friend who took Jayden to the swimming pool on Friday, 30 August, are firmly sticking to their side of the story, accusing the lifeguard of not reacting fast enough. With emotions running high, the family left the meeting "in anger".

The shocked lifeguard, who was placed on sick leave for a week after the incident, showed up to the meeting in person to share his side of the story. Later, the mayor, François Weyrich, spoke on the lifeguard's behalf. He made no secret of his disappointment: "What is very disappointing to me is that no one from the family was ready to express any gratitude to the lifeguard for saving their boy's life."

RTL

Le sauvetage in extremis de Jayden, 5 ans, s'est déroulé le 30 août à la piscine de Vianden. / © Maurice Fick / RTL

Anisia, 21, Jayden’s sister, who was not present at the pool during the incident, spoke on behalf of her family. For the past 11 days, the family has been grappling with one pressing question: "Why didn’t the lifeguard react immediately? We have yet to receive a straightforward answer," she said calmly.

"I know it's not the lifeguard's fault, but he could have reacted faster. My 12-year-old brother went into the water to look for him. The lifeguard didn't realise that he was panicking. If you see a child panicking and unable to swim, surely you would react immediately," says Anisia.

However, the lifeguard's version of events, relayed by the mayor in an interview with RTL, tells a different story. The lifeguard claims to have in fact taken the initiative on his own, noting that he intervened when he saw Jayden entering a deeper section of the pool where he had no footing. Jayden played in the water for over an hour, venturing further and further into a 25-metre pool that gradually goes from 25cm to 1.30m at its deepest.

RTL

L'entrevue s'est déroulée à huis clos mardi durant une heure et demie, à la maison communale. Le maître-nageur a pu s'expliquer face à la famille. / © Maurice Fick / RTL

"At one point, the lifeguard said: ‘OK, I'll take the pole to help him’. There was nobody else there at the time. The two boys weren't there. Nor was the person who was supposed to be watching him. He saw no negative reaction, indicating that the child needed help or something. The youngster raised his head, got some air, opened his eyes, dived in and came to the surface again. He didn't struggle, he didn't go under, he didn't sneeze, and the lifeguard says he didn't notice anything of note," explains François Weyrich.

Jayden didn't feel well until a few minutes later, once he was out of the water, when he started vomiting and lost consciousness at the edge of the pool. The only people in the pool at that moment were Jayden, his 12-year-old brother Eric, Lili and her son. Lili was "sitting on the edge of the pool (shallow side), with her feet in the water," she assured on Tuesday.

Responsibility lies with the parents or those accompanying the children

The misunderstanding between the lifeguard and the family, who criticised him for not jumping into the water, likely stems from the fact that the person who accompanied the children was not present to observe the first moments of the incident unfolding. However, it was the lifeguard who performed first aid and saved Jayden's life. This is not disputed by the family.

To conclude, Mayor François Weyrich reiterated the fundamental rules that govern swimming pool safety: "Ultimately, it is the parents, or those accompanying the children, who are responsible for them at the pool."

Despite the meeting, a clear lack of understanding persists between the two parties. However, the family has not yet lodged a formal complaint regarding the incident.

Addressing the current status of the pool, the mayor explained that it had been closed to the public, but not due to the incident. "It’s because of the bad weather. It's too cold. Otherwise, it would have stayed open this week," he clarified.