LAFAYETTE PARISH (YOUNGSVILLE) — A community in south Louisiana is grappling with the death of a 3-year-old child who drowned Tuesday in a hotel pool in New Iberia, bringing renewed attention to swimming safety and prevention.
The child was found unresponsive in the pool at the Ramada Inn off Highway 14, according to officials. Lifesaving measures were attempted at the scene, and the child was airlifted to a Lafayette hospital, where they later died.
The tragedy has resonated with families across the region, including Youngsville father and business owner Conley Turner, who lost his own son in a drowning incident in 2022.
Turner now runs Pool Guardian, a company that installs safety fencing around pools. He said the business is driven as much by personal loss as by a desire to prevent similar tragedies.
“It’s as much of a passion project as it is a business,” Turner said. “To know that when I leave, their backyard is that much safer—it’s a good feeling.”
Turner started the company in 2023, after installing a fence around his own pool following his son’s death.
“I knew, too late,” he said. “If there would have been someone like me who could have done it the way I do it, it could have stopped it. I guess I’m trying to fill a gap.”
He said he learned of the New Iberia incident Tuesday and was deeply affected.
“God be with him,” Turner said. “That’s the worst thing.”
Turner said while safety measures like pool fencing can help, supervision remains critical. He urges families to assign a designated adult to watch children in the water at all times.
“Whenever you have kids swimming in the pool, you assign one person,” he said. “You can do it in shifts, but one person should be responsible for watching. Because if everybody thinks that everybody is watching, then no one is. And that’s how some of these horrible accidents happen.”
As the community mourns, Turner said his mission remains focused on preventing future drownings—one pool at a time.
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