18-Month-Old Amish Girl Drowns In Ohio Pond
This sad news arrived several days ago. Via cleveland19.com:
ROME TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WOIO) – An 18-month-old Amish girl drowned in a pond on her family’s Rome Township property, the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
The girl’s mother found her in the Dodgeville Road pond after she went missing for about 15 minutes, ACSO said.
ACSO stated lifesaving measures were performed after she was taken out of the pond.
South Central Ambulance District emergency medical personnel brought the toddler to a landing zone where she was then flown in a medical helicopter, said ACSO.
She died after being taken from the scene, according to ACSO.
In this case there was a protective fence around the pond. But the gate had been left open.
I once asked if Amish life is more dangerous. It may or may not be.
Rural life, especially on a farm, has its own dangers. Dangers different than those of the city. And there’s an additional factor in the typical Amish family. There are more children to watch. Older children and relatives help with that. But Amish parents do not helicopter over their children.
And in large families with many young children there are simply more moving parts. Gates get left open.
It may also depend on how you classify “danger”. For example, there are physical dangers, and there are spiritual ones. Amish families are more apt to see city life as having spiritual dangers less present in rural settings.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). This is a heartbreaking story for that mother and this family. One hopes they draw consolation in their faith as to where their little girl is now.
Amish Girl Drowning
Words cannot express the loss of their young daughter but they are probably thinking of the Bible verse absent from the body present with the Lord. The passing of their daughter and the funeral will be hard due to her age but they will be able to comfort themselves knowing she is walking with Jesus in his kingdom.
Condolences
My condolences to the family and especially to the mother. As a mother, I cannot imagine finding my child submerged in a pond. I pray that the Lord will grant her healing and closure from this horrible event. Lord give the family members strength to get thru this tragic incident.
Amish Girl Drowns . . .
Hi Erik,
Thank you for this story. My heart aches for any family that loses a
child, regardless of how. There wasn’t much information about the
child or her family. Might you have an update for us soon? I’d love to
send a card of condolence & assure the family I am praying for each
and every one of them. Or perhaps one of your readers might know the
family personally and the family might (with time) sit for a short interview
and let us know more about them? They deserve to know they are not
alone and that their child is indeed our (Englischers’) child as well.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.