Texas Toddler Dies From Rare Dry, Or Secondary, Drowning

A Texas family is mourning after the tragic death of their young son.

Francisco Delgado III was only four years old and passed away on Saturday, a week after swimming at the Texas City Dike over Memorial Day weekend. "Baby Frankie" as his family calls him, went swimming with his family and later complained over having an upset stomach. His family just thought he maybe had a stomach bug and didn't think it was a serious condition.

During the week, Baby Frankie had the typical symptoms of having a stomach bug; nausea, vomiting and an upset stomach. The family said he began getting better so they thought the worst part was over.

Sadly, they were wrong.

On Saturday morning, the boy complained of pain in his shoulders and went back to sleep. His father, Francisco Delgado Jr., told ABC 13 that later the pain got serious:

"Out of nowhere, he just woke up. He said ahhh. He took his last breath and I didn't know what to do no more."

The family called an ambulance to come to the home and he was rushed to the hospital where he sadly died. His mother Tara Delgado also spoke to ABC 13:

"I walked in. I could see him lying there. They were still working on him. I'm screaming. Let me just touch my baby. Maybe he needs his mama's touch. When she came in, she told us it's what's called dry drowning. His lungs were full of fluid. There was nothing else they could do for him."

The doctors at the hospital told the Delgados that their son died of a rare occurance called a "dry drowning" or "secondary drowning" that typically affects young children. Water gets into either the lungs causing them to fill up with fluid or they breathe in the water causing vocal chords to spasm and close up not allowing them to breathe. The family are now warning other parents of the dangers of their children suffering from a dry drowning.