Strangers Save Wis. Boy, 6, After Near Drowning
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- For a few minutes, a young boy from Hudson, Wis. appeared to be dead after getting pulled under a waterfall in southern Utah. But thanks to the quick action of his sister, parents and strangers, 6-year-old Cody Grundstrom is alive and telling his story.
It happened in a matter of seconds.
"I couldn't breathe," he said from his hospital bed.
Cody's family took an RV on a cross-country vacation and stopped in Southern Utah to visit family and friends. He was playing with his sister and other kids at this waterfall at Capitol Reef National Park in Utah when he was suddenly swept under water.
"I tried to hang on to stuff on the rocks and I couldn't and it kept on taking me."
His sister Madison noticed his sandal floating nearby and that's when Cody's father Kevin Grundstrom knew something was wrong.
"I took off down the cliff and jumped into the water," he said.
Cody's mom Jenney Grundstrom was watching the terrifying situation unfold.
"He was reaching into blackness and found him in his arms," she said.
Cody's sister Madison watched them pull her brother out of the water.
"When he picked him up he was all floppy and stuff. He looked like he would never make it," said Madison.
Standing nearby on the river was Talli and Jay Torgerson who were also on vacation. Talli Torgerson is a primary children's ER nurse and Jay Torgerson is a fire captain.
"The thing that broke my heart the most is when they were doing CPR on him ... and dad was yelling, 'Please let my son live. Please make him live,'" said Madison.
Talli Torgerson said Cody was near death.
"He had no heart beat and he was not breathing and he was blue," she said. "It was only a matter of 30 seconds of chest compressions and he started to throw up."
"It was just everybody working together," said Jay Torgerson. "It was an amazing experience."
Cody is thankful they saved his life and his parents are counting their blessings.
"They saved his life -- Talli and Jay," said Kevin Grundstrom.
Cody is now starting to feel like himself again, but says he has no plans to go near the water -- at least for right now.
"I don't think I'm going to go back in the water for a week or something," said Cody.
