MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA LAKE MICHIGAN: Let us be in prayer for this little guy! — A hospital spokesperson has confirmed that the 6-year-old boy rescued after being trapped under a sand dune near Mount Baldy is in critical condition at The University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital.
The spokesperson for the hospital says the boy is listed in critical condition, but when he arrived he was able to respond to simple commands and he has responded well to ventilation.
“His parents want to extend their deepest thanks to the Michigan City fire and police departments and all the authorities, private companies and individuals who contributed to the rescue effort,” said the spokesperson.
“They also ask that people include this little boy in their prayers.”
Michigan City Fire Chief Ronnie Martin confirmed Saturday morning that an air pocket is what kept the boy alive after being trapped under the sand dune late Friday night.
The boy was trapped for over three hours.
Martin says firefighters were sticking a probe into the sand and came across an air pocket. They started feeling around and felt something soft. They then saw the boy’s head and reached in and pulled the boy out.
According to the Michigan City News Dispatch, the boy was with his family, who are believed to be from Illinois, when he fell into a hole in an area that was blocked off for dune restoration.
“As they were trying to free him, the hole quote ‘completely collapsed,’ burying him so they could no longer see him,” said Rowe.
The little boy’s family then made a frantic 911 call. First responders arrived 15 minutes later and had to watch out for their own safety while they quickly worked to find the boy.
“I’m sure almost everyone has dug a hole in the sand on the beach,” said Rowe. “You know you can’t get a very steep angle on your hole, it’s going to keep collapsing down on yourself.”
Two local excavating companies also helped with the dig.
Rowe says rescuers were able to free the child around 8 p.m.
A lifeguard pickup drove the boy to a waiting ambulance. Police say he was transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Michigan City and then later flown to a medicial facility in Chicago.
After it was all done, some who helped find the boy were overcome with emotion.
Todd Bell says when he first received the call from Michigan City Police, he got straight to work.
And while the 6-year-old boy is alive this morning in part because of his efforts, the LaPorte man says he doesn’t consider himself a hero.
“There was a lot of effort and a lot of hand shoveling and a lot of digging,” Bell said. “Hopefully the outcome was good and we’ll say a prayer for him tonight.”
Mount Baldy will be closed for the weekend for public safety while investigators determine the cause of the accident and if there’s any further danger.
“Measurements have been taken, the area’s been investigated,” said Rowe. “We’re going to look over the entire dune area, obviously once it’s light again, to figure out what happened and why.”
For more information from the South Bend Tribune click here: https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/keynews/article_d632b664-ebe3-11e2-b175-001a4bcf6878.html
