Updated at 6:34 p.m., Saturday, June 9, 2007
2-year-old seriously injured in near-drowning
Advertiser Staff
A 2-year-old child was seriously injured in a bizarre near-drowning incident this morning at around 10:20 a.m. after the inflatable jumper castle in which she was playing was pulled from its moorings by a strong gust of wind and flew 10 feet into the air and landed in the ocean, said Emergency Medical Services spokesman Bryan Cheplic. The incident happened at Ma'ili Beach Park.
Lifeguards quickly responded and were able to pull the toddler from the water and stabilize her. The child was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition, he said.
About 100 yards from that incident at around the same time, a 37-year-old male was pulled from the water in another incident that was reported as a near drowning, Cheplic said. The man, who reported chest pains and shortness of breath, was transported in serious condition to the Hawaii Medical Center West, he said.
