MORGAN, Utah – A 1-year-old boy found in a drainage ditch was in critical condition Saturday night.
Sgt. Jason Lee, a spokesperson for the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, said dispatchers received an emergency call for a near-drowning a little before noon on Saturday.
Lee said the boy was at his grandparents’ home on West Stoddard Road when he wandered off. After searching for 15 minutes, the boy’s grandmother found him behind the home in the Stoddard Slough, a drainage ditch off the Weber River.
“The grandmother just turned her back for that split second, and it’s not uncommon for people to turn their backs for that split second,” Lee said. “Sometimes tragic things happen.”
Lee said the grandmother carried the boy to a neighbor’s home, where they called 911 and started CPR. The 1 year old reportedly took a few breaths on his own, but was unresponsive when he was flown to the hospital by helicopter.
“The child is still in a very, very critical state at this point,” Lee said late Saturday afternoon.
Neighbor Shari Baird was returning home when she saw the commotion.
“It’s terrible,” Baird said. “I can’t honestly imagine, as a mother, I can’t honestly imagine something like that happening.”
Baird said her children aren’t little any more, but she understands how quickly kids can wander off.
“It’s a constant thing,” Baird said. “You have to watch them all the time, especially around water.”
