Child in critical condition after incident at Durham pool

According to police, a 7-year-old boy was found floating face down in a pool in the Brightleaf Community just before 3 p.m.

According to police, the pool was very crowded at the time of the incident, but closed for the remainder of the day.

Lauren Higdon was supposed to have her son's birthday party at the pool Saturday evening. She said she was very shaken up by the incident. 

"I was immediately in tears," she said. "It is an awful, awful thing that you don't think could ever happen to your child."

Tiffany Harrell, an experienced nurse, said she witnessed the 7-year-old being pulled from the water. 

"You just don't expect to see a small child drown. Every time they pumped his chest there was water coming out of his nose and mouth," Harrell said. 

Signs around the pool indicated there were no lifegaurds on duty at the time of the incident. Neighborhood parents said the policy needs to change. 

"I just think you've got to look at the safety, especially of the young ones. Sometimes you don't even realize how quickly something can happen," said neighbor Derek Tolbert. 

The child was taken to Duke University Hospital where he was listed in critical condition, police said.

No further information was released.