Boy, 4, still in critical condition after near-drowning

Liam Pa’ar fighting for his life after Shavuot incident at Kibbutz Ramat Rahel.

By MELANIE LIDMAN
A four-year-old boy who nearly drowned in a pool at Kibbutz Ramat Rahel outside Jerusalem during the Shavuot holiday is still fighting for his life and remains in critical condition.
A spokeswoman for Shaare Zedek Hospital said the boy, Liam Pa’ar, was in intensive pediatric care, ventilated and in a medically-induced coma. His father, Roei, told the Hebrew media his family was “waiting and praying” that his son would recover.
Roei Pa’ar, who was home at the time of the incident, said it was still unclear what had happened in the moments after Liam fell into the pool and allegedly hit his head.
At the moment, he said, he was concentrating on his son and allowing the police to do their work.
Four people from the pool staff – two lifeguards, the pool director and an administrator – were questioned on suspicion of negligence. They were released later Wednesday evening although the investigation is continuing.
Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben- Ruby said it was still too early to determine if negligence by the lifeguards contributed to the incident.
The Ramat Rahel pool will remain closed for the next three days, at which time police will reevaluate whether to allow it to reopen. They were still waiting to take testimony from the boy’s mother, who has been at the hospital with her son, and believe that her account will shed greater light on what took place.