Toddler Dies After Falling into Icy Pond
- A toddler has died after being pulled from a icy pond in Henrico County, Virginia, police confirmed
- The little boy fell through ice into the freezing pond during the Jan. 26 incident, according to local outlets
- A man was also treated for possible hypothermia following the incident
A toddler has died after falling through ice into a freezing pond in Henrico County, Virginia.
On Monday, Jan. 26, the Henrico County Police shared in a Facebook post that they were alerted at around 1:40 p.m. local time to a report about a child being rescued from a pond near the 12300 block of Shore View Drive.
“Once on scene, officers located the child unconscious and receiving CPR from personnel with the Henrico County Division of Fire,” authorities wrote. “He was transported to an area hospital in life-threatening condition.”
They added that an “adult male was also treated on-site for possible hypothermia.”
The man who was being treated for possible hypothermia jumped in after the child, local sources told WTVR. According to the outlet, citing police, the toddler fell through ice into the pond.
In an update, officials said the child had died in the hospital on Monday evening.
The incident took place on a below-freezing day, according to WRIC, following a snow and ice storm.
“Henrico Police is in the early stages of its investigation. More information will be released when it is available,” authorities concluded in their initial statement.
Henrico Police confirmed they will work with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the cause and manner of death in the incident. “Detectives within the Criminal Investigations Section are working to determine how this incident unfolded,” the police updated added.
Authorities have asked anyone with information to contact Det. K. Herbst at (804) 501-4831. People can also submit anonymous messages via Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000 or P3tips.com.
Following the incident, Goochland County Fire Captain Haley Ransom issued a warning to people about walking on ice.
“The ice almost never gets thick enough to support the weight of a person because of the up and down temperatures, like it was 50 degrees last week,” Ransom told WWBT. “The ice looks like it may be thick, and you could walk on it, maybe a foot or two. And then as the water gets deeper, the ice gets thinner and we have people get through the ice.”
Ransom added, “If somebody fell in the water, they could be hypothermic within seconds. Also, your body’s reaction is to like shut down your airway. So if you did go in the water, the first thing we would want you to do is hold your breath so that you don’t have that cold water come in.”