HIGHLANDS- Authorities in this town along the San Jacinto River had to deal with two tragedies in as many weekends, as summer recreation started on a sad note.
Last weekend, Sunday May 21, a four year old Hispanic youth disappeared while playing in the water with his friends and family at Banana Bend Beach. When his father could not locate him after he disappeared, he enlisted the aid of the staff to search the grounds, and when that did not turn up the boy, the search turned to the water.
Although the child had been playing in only a few feet of water not far from shore, for some reason he apparently fell under and did not resurface.
Eventually, with the help of the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol, who had come to the scene, the dragging operation turned up the boy’s lifeless body. By that time the boy had been under water for a prolonged period, perhaps as much as 45 to 60 minutes, authorities said.
The father wanted to rush the boy to the hospital in Baytown, and took him in his truck in that direction. However, when deputies called to the scene arrived, they decided to stop the truck on Main Street in Highlands, near El Rio restaurant. At that point, Highlands EMS attempted to revive the boy, but when that failed they transported him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
In the second similar incident, which happened last Saturday afternoon, May 27, a four year old boy playing with his family in the water along Banana Bend Beach slipped under the surface. Within minutes, his family pulled him out and called for help. Staff tried to resuscitate him with life saving techniques, and some medical personnel were picnicking at the beach and helped. When Highlands EMS arrived at the scene, the boy had some vital signs, and LifeFlight was called. However, the boy was taken to Hermann Memorial Hospital, and eventually succumbed to the effects of having been under water.
Authorities indicated that both incidents were unavoidable accidents, and emphasized the need for supervision of children around bodies of water.
