Brothers, ages 1 and 3, drown in Fayette County

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Two brothers, ages 1 and 3, drowned in Fayette County Wednesday evening, police confirmed to Channel 11.

Police said it happened in a backyard pool on Whiteman Avenue in Uniontown.

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When police arrived, family members were performing CPR. Officers decided it would be faster to drive the boys to a hospital in their police SUV rather than wait for an ambulance.

"I made the decision to transport them in the SUV. We had four officer and two toddlers enroute to the hospital while our officers were performing CPR," said Lt. Tom Kolencik of Uniontown Police.

According to our partners at TribLive, the two boys were identified as Hayden and Hunter Smith. They were pulled from the family's pool by their grandfather, TribLive reported.

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Family members told Channel 11 the boys were the light of the family. They were sweet and loving - and are going to be greatly missed.

Two teenagers were watching the boys when the incident happened.

Drowning is the number one cause of death of children between the ages of 1 and 4, according to Safe Kids Worldwide, a non-profit organization. The group said 57% of drownings in that age group happen in pools. They have safety tips available on their website.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also offers tips to avoid drowning.

Cox Media Group