A girl was critically injured after being swept into a culvert in a creek and two people were also injured while trying to free her. The incident happened Thursday in southwestern Douglas County off Missouri State Highway PP.
According to a Facebook post from the Douglas County Sheriffs Office, a deputy, the Good Hope Volunteer Fire Department, Cox Ambulance and numerous citizens responded to the scene.
As rescuers were trying to reach the child from the downstream side of the culvert, an off-duty Ozark County dispatcher tried to plug the culvert from the upstream side to cut off the water flow, but was partially swept into the culvert. The deputy grabbed her and partially pulled her up before the suction drug him into the culvert. The deputy then traveled through the culvert and collided with the child who was pinned inside by debris. The collision knocked the child loose, resulting in the child and deputy exiting the culvert into the creek. The dispatcher also ended up being sucked into the culvert and she came out into the creek.
The deputy and a first responder began life-saving measures on the child who was then airlifted to a hospital where she is in critical condition.
Both the deputy and dispatcher were injured and transported to a hospital where they were treated and released.
The name and age of the child that was injured has not been released.
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