Child Saved From Drowning In Vernon

VERNON, CT - A local teen and an adult are being credited with saving the life of a Vernon child who nearly drowned at Valley Falls Park on Saturday afternoon, police said.

Vernon Police and EMS crews were called to the park shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday for a report of a drowning victim. Officers found the 11-year-old girl had been pulled from the water and was being treated by an adult male.

The child was conscious when officers arrived, police said. Officers treated the girl with oxygen and she was transported to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center by Vernon EMS, police said.

The child is expected to recover, police said. Witnesses told police that the girl was swimming at the park and went under the water.

A 15-year-old male Vernon resident was swimming nearby and saw the girl go underwater and not come back up, police said.

He found the girl underwater, unresponsive and not breathing, according to police. He brought her back to shore where an adult administered rescue breathing to her, police said.

After a short time, the girl began to breathe on her own and regained consciousness, police said. The girl’s parents were nearby at the time, but had been momentarily distracted, police said.

Police are not yet releasing the identities of the victim or rescuers.