A Merrillville police officer said Wednesday that a toddler pulled from a retention pond Tuesday is expected to live.
“After checking with medical staff, I discovered that the baby will make it,” said Merrillville Detective Commander Jeff Rice on Wednesday.
The boy, 2, was discovered by his mother in a retention pond behind their apartment complex Tuesday after he wandered off from their secured first-floor patio, police said.
Tuesday night, Rice attributed the child’s survival to the quick action of the boy’s mother and two neighbors, all of whom started CPR on him right away, followed by police officers and firefighters, who took over performing CPR as soon as they arrived.
Rice said Tuesday that he heard the baby cry at the scene. “That’s a good sign,” he said.
He did not know how long the child was in the water or how deep the pond is.
Rice said police responded to a call of a child floating in the pond behind the Hickory Ridge Apartments in the 5600 block of Hayes Street. As they arrived they found the mother and two others performing CPR on the child.
The police officers continued CPR until Merrillville Fire and Prompt Ambulance arrived. Rice said firefighters continued CPR and transported the toddler to Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville.
He was later transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill.
Police Chief Joseph Petruch called the incident “a tragic accident.” He said the pond behind the apartments is 20 to 30 yards from the family’s apartment with some green space between.
Rice said the mother was letting her child play in the rain on the patio when she was distracted for a short amount of time. She didn’t see him on the patio and went looking for him.
“The mother pulled the child from the water. She was wet and muddy,” Rice said.
Rice said this case, like all cases involving a child, will be investigated and turned over to the Department of Child and Family Services. But he added, “I’m not saying there is anything wrong here.”
Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
