911 Operator Helps Save The Life Of Laurel Toddler After Near-Drowning

LAUREL, Md. (WJZ)-- Frantic calls for help. A 2-year-old baby girl nearly drowned in a bathtub in Laurel.

Meghan McCorkell has the panicked calls to 911.

That little girl is in critical condition, but the quick thinking of a 911 operator may have saved her life.

911 Caller: "My granddaughter has drowned. She's not responding. Please help me!"

A terrifying call for help from a Laurel home. A 2-year-old girl is found under the water inside a bathtub.

911 Operator: "Is she breathing, ma'am?"
911 Caller: "No, she's not breathing!"

Police say the child's grandmother was distracted when two friends came to visit and left the child alone for 10 minutes. The toddler was underwater and unresponsive when she returned.

911 Operator: "Give her two breaths and then 30 more pumps. Keep going, ma'am. This is very important. Don't stop."

A 911 operator was with the grandmother through every step of CPR.

911 Operator: "1,2,3,4... keep going... 1,2,3,4."

After minutes, a sign of hope.

911 Caller: "She's breathing!"
911 Operator: "She's breathing?"
911 Caller: "Yes!"

"When we arrived, we did hear shallow breathing, which is a very good sign," Mark Brady of the Prince George's County Fire Department said.

A sign on the door of the home says: Open Doors Academy of Maryland. Neighbors say it's a daycare. Now they're praying for the little girl.

"It's very sad. We never hear of anything like that happening in our area," Addie Arrich Maselas, a neighbor, said.

The City of Laurel's police department tells WJZ the investigation into what happened is ongoing.

Fire officials don't expect criminal charges. They say it was just a tragic accident.

The little girl is now in intensive care at Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Fire officials say this near tragedy is a reminder that children can drown in just inches of water.