Influencer Emilie Kiser shared a TikTok about water safety Thursday, nearly a year after her 3-year-old son died from drowning.
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Trigg Kiser died last May, days after falling into a pool, according to police. His father, Brady Kiser, said he was momentarily distracted when the incident occurred and that Emilie was away at the time. In July, officials announced that Brady Kiser would not face charges in connection with his son’s death.
In a statement made a few months after her son’s death, Kiser said she knows there’s more she could have done to protect him.
In the over three-minute video posted Thursday, Kiser said she felt ready to discuss her son’s “preventable” death and that it was important she does so to help other children and families, despite how difficult it is for her.
“Like I said, our son’s death was very preventable, it was an accident but it was a preventable accident,” Kiser says in the video. “I will always take full accountability for that because as a parent it is your job to protect your child.”
A tearful Kiser shared that drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, which is supported by data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC warns that drowning can happen anywhere there is access to water, and that it is often silent and quick.
Kiser said she found it important to make the video ahead of the summer months and the anniversary of her son’s death in May, which is also water safety month. She advised her supporters to install pool fences and have door alarms with working batteries.
“Please make sure that you watch your children around water and honestly, another thing that I really want to talk about for this video is please get your children into ISR (infant swimming resource) lessons or at the very least swim lessons,” Kiser said, adding that she signed her younger son up for ISR lessons at 6 months old.
Kiser also advised everyone watching to learn CPR, or Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in order to be able to help anyone who needs it.
Many of Kiser’s fans left supportive comments on her TikTok, lauding her for her strength and cheering her on for helping to bring awareness to an important issue.
“You will save lives. My heart is with you,” one commenter wrote.
Another commenter said Trigg’s death “drastically changed” how her family and friends think about water safety.
“We installed a pool in our yard the same year our son was born — he will be 3 in August — and we know there will never be enough interventions to keep him and his sister safe,” the commenter wrote. “Thank you for being a resource to families. You’re so strong.”
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