K.Pirožnikas indicated that at that time there was a 4-point wave in the sea and a red flag was raised, meaning that swimming was strictly prohibited. Despite this, the video shows a minor girl swimming alone in the stormy sea.
According to the lifeguard, the child’s parents were a few hundred meters away, in the dunes. K.Pirožnikas emphasized that in such a situation the child is left alone in an environment where help may be needed within just a few seconds.
“This is not ‘the child just wants to swim.’ This is not ‘we see her from afar.’ This is a real threat to the child’s life,” the lifeguard said in his post.
He reminded that when the sea is strongly wavy, conditions can change in an instant. The current can catch the child and carry them away from the shore, a strong wave can knock them over, and if caught in a hole or a ripping current, the minor may no longer be able to return to shore independently. According to K.Pirožnikas, such conditions are dangerous even for experienced adults.
The lifeguard also drew attention to another problem – children imitate the behavior of adults as an example. If parents ignore the red flag and lifeguards’ warnings, the child may get the impression that these prohibitions are not so important.
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“How many more strangers’ misfortunes do we have to see before we start learning from them?” asked K.Pirožnikas.
Video:
Because of such behavior, he publicly addressed the Child Rights Protection Service and responsible institutions, urging them to help fight cases where children’s lives are endangered due to irresponsible adult decisions.
K.Pirožnikas also appealed to parents and urged them not to ignore the red flag even when the child insists that they will go to the sea “for a short time,” can swim, or the sea itself seems safe.
“The red flag means a real danger. Listen to the lifeguards. Protect your children,” urged the Palanga lifeguard.
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