Boy's bright orange shoes aid in miraculous rescue from Mississippi River after barge crash
RED WING, Minn. -- A mother is crediting her young son's shoes for giving him a fighting chance.
A man was on the Mississippi River fishing with his kids in Red Wing last week when a barge hit their boat. All five of them went into the water.
It's a common sight on this bend of the Mississippi -- barges making a turn to make a delivery. That's what was happening Friday near a houseboat marina where Stephanie Bergeron lives.
"A beautiful night, having some cocktails and watched the barge go by," Bergeron said.
But the peaceful night turned chaotic, as the barge started beeping frantically.
"I've never heard a barge do that before, so we've like, 'Wow, so what's going on?'" she said.
According to the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office, Jeremy Koenig and his four kids were fishing when their boat motor gave out, and a barge collided with their small boat.
"Then we heard one of pontoon boats yelling there was man overboard," she said. "There were so many rescue people here."
She says the father and three of his four kids made it to shore, and the boat was pulled to shore. But then, someone spotted something bright orange.
"One of the … water [rescuers] saw the shoe of the boy on the bottom side of the boat, and then that's when we realized, oh my, the boy is under the boat," Bergeron said. "And then he jumped in and got him, and it was instantaneous. They brought him to the dock and they started rescue measures."
To understand how amazing it is, you have to see this water. It's so dark that to see something it would have to be something bright.
The family's last CaringBridge post says the little boy is getting major medical attention at the Mayo Clinic, but he does not have brain damage. The family credits prayer, the orange shoes and CPR, after a cruise on the river rocked a community.
"Everybody's been really concerned, and praying that he's gonna be OK," Bergeron said.
The Mayo Clinic tells WCCO the boy is in critical condition right now. The family is updating his progress regularly on their CaringBridge page.
The children were all wearing life jackets.