“I’ve never known a child could walk around, talk, speak and their lungs be filled with water,” Cassandra Jackson told NBC News.

Laryngospasm, or dry drowning is a little known phenomenon that causes death often in children after being in water, such as a bathtub, a swimming pool, or a lake, but not while in the body of water, rather hours after getting out! Water enters the lungs and slowly causes death due to inability to get oxygen to the vital organs. The concern over dry drowning stems from the lack of signs that could prevent fatality. A small amount of inhaled water can have a delayed-reaction effect. In technical terms, its called “Persistence of laryngospasm when immersed in fluid.” (Wiki)

    Signs
  • Sleepiness/Sluggishness
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Acting abnormal (when don’t kids? Shrug…)

“According to the Centers for Disease Control, some 3,600 people drowned in 2005, the most recent year for which there are statistics. Some 10 to 15 percent of those deaths was classified as “dry drowning,” which can occur up to 24 hours after a small amount of water gets into the lungs.” (MSNBC) During dry drowning, the heart will continue to beat and pump blood but oxygen will not be retrieved and delivered properly.

Remedy
“Victims of dry drowning are treated by having a breathing tube inserted so that oxygen can be supplied under pressure to the lungs.” (MSNBC)

    Other causes
  • Muscular paralysis
  • Puncture wounds to the torso
  • Changes to the oxygen-absorbing tissues
  • Breathing any gas other than oxygen

Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24982210/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_drowning