Child dies in drowning accident

SANDPOINT — At approximately 2 p.m. today, a Sandpoint Police officer was notified of a missing 7-year old boy at 400 East Mountain View Drive near the Popsicle Bridge in Sandpoint.

Family members at the scene reported that the missing child was last seen sitting on the rocks at the edge of Sand Creek. First responders from Selkirk Fire, Bonner County EMS, Sandpoint and Ponderay Police and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office responded and began searching for the child who was not visible from the shoreline or the bridge.

Two members of the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team located the missing child in the area under 12 to 15 feet of water. Visibility in the water was very low. The child was not wearing a flotation device and family members reported that he did not know how to swim.

Bonner County EMS started life saving measures and the child was transported to Bonner General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. There were no visible signs of trauma.

Names will not be released at this time pending family notification.

With the high temperatures in the past week, there has been an increase in water activities in and around Sandpoint. “We want to remind everyone that a person can begin to drown in less than twenty seconds,” remarked Chief Corey Coon. “Swimming in natural bodies of water requires more knowledge and additional skills than using a swimming pool. Many of our bodies of water, including Sand Creek, have deep holes and debris that can’t be seen from the surface.” Please be mindful of those around you while you are in and around the water. The Centers for Disease Control reports that drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional deaths of children 14 years of age and younger.