<\/p>\n
Four-year-old Briella drowned in the lake behind her home in Plantation on July 5.<\/p>\n
Provided to CBS News Miami<\/p>\n
A grieving mother in Plantation is speaking out for the first time after her 4-year-old daughter, Briella, drowned in a lake behind their home during the July 4th holiday weekend.<\/p>\n
The mother, identified only as Barbara, shared her story exclusively with CBS News Miami to highlight the recent rise in similar tragedies<\/a> in South Florida. Since July 5, when Briella died, there have been two drownings<\/a> and one near-drowning reported in Plantation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe gave her CPR, but unfortunately she took her last breath in my arms,\u201d Barbara said. \u201cThe pain is unbearable. It\u2019s really devastating. But I thank God that he is giving me the strength to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Barbara described her daughter as a \u201cvery sweet girl\u201d who was \u201calways happy and … always smiling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy heart goes out to all parents dealing with the heartbreak right now,\u201d she added. \u201cThe pain is going to be forever, but I fortunately have help and prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n Barbara explained that the incident occurred early in the morning despite the presence of a nanny in the home. \u201cIt was really unusual for her to wake up that morning, early in the morning, and go straight to that place. … My daughter can\u2019t swim.\u201d<\/p>\n The child\u2019s father, who declined an on-camera interview, demonstrated how Briella accessed the lake. He pointed to a sliding-glass door at the rear of their home near Northwest Fifth Street and 107th Avenue.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is where she just opened it from the inside, and she slid it,\u201d he said. \u201cShe left the house at 9:35 in the morning. When I came here, I saw her in the water.\u201d<\/p>\n Plantation police reported that the father found his daughter in the water, immediately performed CPR and called 911. Plantation Fire Rescue transported the child to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.<\/p>\n In the wake of the loss, the family emphasized<\/a> the need for constant vigilance. \u201cWe have to be so careful with your children and be vigilant at all times,\u201d the mother said.<\/p>\n