An afternoon on the Crow River turned treacherous for one family in Wright County, as a mother and her two children were involved in what officials have reported as a possible drowning incident. On June 2, at about 1:11 PM, local authorities were dispatched following calls concerning the distressing event near the bridge on Mill Pond Trail in Hanover. The three family members had been engaging the river's current - the mother and her 16-year-old daughter on paddle boards, and her 15-year-old son in a kayak, according to the Wright County Sheriff's Office.
The family's routine excursion soon turned perilous as they, moving through the waterway, collided with trees overhanging into the river, an obstacle that forcefully dismounted them. While the mother and son managed to quickly free themselves, the 16-year-old girl became entangled and was swept below the current. In a dire fight against time and force, the girl was eventually pulled from the water by her father and a bystander. The Wright County Sheriff's Office detailed that "lifesaving procedures were administered by Deputies, Allina Paramedics and Fire Department personnel from Hanover Fire. First responders were able to obtain a pulse from the unresponsive juvenile female."
Remarkably, the statements gathered from the scene affirm that the teenager was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident. Despite the benefits offered by this protective gear, the river claimed its due, and the girl's status, as last reported, remains critical. She was airlifted to the University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital in what can only be understood as an urgent bid to turn the tides of this tragedy. The incident is ongoing under its scrutiny by local law enforcement, Case number 24014635, as they work to piece together the circumstances of the near-drowning.
