A nine-year-old boy from Fort Wayne is currently in critical condition after a harrowing incident on a local pond, where the thin winter ice broke beneath him, pulling him into freezing waters. As reported by WISH-TV, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources disclosed that the accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. yesterday on Mayrock Drive.
The two boys, the nine-year-old victim, and his eight-year-old companion, were playing at the edge of a neighborhood pond when tragedy struck, compelling the younger boy to endeavor a rescue that ended with him also falling through but, managing to escape and seeking help from the older boy's father, who desperately searched the chest-deep water to no avail. A public information officer for the DNR told WANE 15 that Fort Wayne Fire Department divers retrieved the nine-year-old from the waters at approximately 1 p.m. and transported him to a hospital in critical condition.
Responding to the scene, units from the Allen County Sheriff's Department, Fort Wayne Fire Department water rescue team, and West Central Fire District executed the rescue operation. WANE 15’s crew observed the scene where a diverse array of rescue vehicles were present.
According to WTHR, Allen County Public Information Officer Adam Griffith affirmed that the DNR would lead the investigation into the incident. Fate spared the eight-year-old boy, who emerged without serious harm and the father of the nine-year-old was checked for hypothermia, DNR officers are urging parents to keep a vigilant watch over their children when near bodies of water during the winter as the ice can often be deceptively thin and fragile.
