It’s summer, and lots of families are heading to the pool, lake or beach. But amid all the festivities, it’s also important to keep safety first: According to the CDC, aside from birth defects, drowning is the leading cause of death in children under age four.
For Granger Smith and his wife, Amber, that statistic is personal. Their three-year-old son, River, died in a drowning accident at home in June of 2019.
Amber remembers telling her two other children, Lincoln and London — who were five and seven at the time — the devastating news.
“We went home with that intention of being very honest…” she recounts to People. “We said, ‘River was without oxygen for too long. They did everything they could but Bubbie died…And then we let them process their emotions and told them whatever they’re feeling…it’s OK.”
In 2021, Granger and Amber welcomed baby boy Maverick, and the couple put their infant son in ISR (infant swim rescue) lessons in order to help him learn how to stay afloat if he should ever fall into the water.
“He can barely crawl, but now he knows how to hold his breath, twist his body , find the air, float on his back and cry,” she wrote on socials, posting a video of his 10th lesson. “…He has the skills to float until help comes.”
Amber has also been a staunch advocate for water safety awareness for all families. “Thinking that adult supervision is enough is a DEADLY miscalculation,” she says. “Hear me. I used to think that too.”
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