Boy submerged in river is rescued when dad spots his orange shoes, Minnesota mom says
A boy who was among five family members rescued from the Mississippi River in Minnesota was saved when his orange shoe bottoms were spotted underwater, his mom said.
The incident happened around 5:45 p.m. on June 3 in Goodhue County, where the sheriff’s office said a barge in the Mississippi River crashed into a boat with 45-year-old Jeremy Koenig and four children on board. Rachel Koenig, Jeremy’s wife, wrote on CaringBridge.org the boat had stalled before it ended up in the path of the barge.
All five people who were on the boat were in the water when first responders arrived, the sheriff’s office said. One of the children, Vincent, was initially submerged and stuck underneath the capsized boat, his mom said.
He was under the family’s boat for up to 13 minutes, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
“Thank goodness he was wearing shoes with his orange bottoms,” Rachel Koenig said. “Jeremy spotted his shoes and was able to find him.”
Bystanders helped administer CPR to Vincent until medical personnel arrived, the boy’s mom said.
Jeremy Koenig and the other three children were treated and released at the scene, according to the sheriff. They were identified by the sheriff’s office as Jack, 11; Felix, 8, and Hazel, 3, according to the Star Tribune. All of the children, including 5-year-old Vincent, were wearing life jackets.
Vincent was taken to the hospital, where he remains as of Monday, June 6.
“Vincent is requiring light sedation, continues to be intubated, may require ECMO but as of now he is maintaining cardiac profusion with medication alone,” his mom said.
Rachel Koenig said Monday that Vincent’s brain scans were normal and he did not suffer a brain injury, calling it “the best news we could have asked for.”
The encouraging news came a day after the family watched as the 5-year-old began moving his extremities and squirming in the bed. It caused his mom to clap for joy, she said.
“He continues to amaze us with his strengths and willingness to fight,” the mom wrote earlier in the weekend.
The crash site in Goodhue County is about 55 miles southeast of Minneapolis.