Child pulled from Stanislaus River regains pulse after bystander starts CPR
A young boy regained a pulse after being pulled from the Stanislaus River by a bystander who started CPR on Monday evening.
Stanislaus Consolidated firefighters were dispatched to Jacob Myers Park in Riverbank just before 5 p.m. for a report of three children who’d been struggling in the river, at least one of whom was still in the water, said Battalion Chief Eric DeHart.
He said the scene was confusing, with about 100 people at the park, some screaming, others staring.
An exact location of the children was not immediately known when firefighters arrived, but they learned that a girl began screaming and alerting others to two boys floating in the water, DeHart said. Two bystanders had pulled a boy from the water on north shore and a different bystander had pulled an older boy from the water and started CPR on the south shore.
Firefighters found the man and child and took over CPR. After some time, the child spit up water, regained a pulse and started breathing on his own, DeHart said.
A firefighter carried the child up an embankment to a waiting ambulance on River Cove Drive. DeHart did not know the child’s condition on Tuesday but said he had continued to show signs of improvement during the ambulance ride to the hospital.
San Joaquin County sheriff’s Deputy Sandra Mendez said boy was in stable condition as of Monday night. She said that boy is 5 and the other boy is 3.
DeHart said the boy on the north shore quickly regained consciousness after being pulled from the water and did not need CPR. He and the girl were taken to the hospital for medical clearance.
More details about what the child and the other children were doing at the park or whether they were with family were not available Tuesday.
This story was originally published July 26, 2022 at 11:35 AM.
