Children's Safety Zone

The teen boy pulled unconscious out of the Colorado River after floating downstream underwater for about 100 yards has been identified.

Junior de Jesus Salamanca, 17, is currently listed in critical condition at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

The near-drowning occurred at about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday when two of Salamanca’s younger siblings became distressed while swimming beneath the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Salamanca, who was swimming nearby, tried to rescue his young brother and sister, who were between the ages of 3 and 5.

He was able to reach the children, but as he was returning with them to the shore, he fell into a deep drop off at the north side of the Colorado River beneath the railroad bridge and disappeared under the surface. At that time, he lost his grip on the two children.

Mike Colberg had been swimming in the area and had stopped for a moment near the large rocks underneath the railroad bridge nearby when he became aware of the two children and swam to their rescue.

He was able to grab the young boy and bring him into a nearby cove. With the aid of a second man, both the boy and girl were taken to the opposite shore. Both children were uninjured.

Colberg had been unaware of Salamanca, who continued to float downstream at least 100 yards just beneath the surface.

Salamanca’s father began shouting for help to find his son. Two people standing on the southern shore beneath the Interstate 8 bridge spotted the teen beneath the water a short time later. They brought him ashore and began CPR while someone called 911.

Paramedics responded to the scene, where they began trying to revive the teen as he lay in the sand on the riverbank. They placed him in a gurney and continued chest compressions as they loaded him into the back of a Yuma Fire Department ambulance. He was then transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center before being flown by helicopter to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

The incident has prompted YCSO to warn Yuma area residents about the dangers associated with swimming in natural waterways.

“River flows and depth can change on a day-to-day basis so don’t assume just because you were there one day that it will be the same the next,” said Lt. Darren Simmons.

“Watch small children closely and make sure they are wearing approved safety flotation devices.”

TUCSON – A 10-month old girl is in critical condition after nearly drowning in a bathtub this afternoon – the woman who was watching her has been charged with Child Abuse.

Tucson Fire and Tucson Police responded to an apartment in the 3600 block of north Campbell Avenue at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday afternoon after a 10-month old girl was found unconscious and not breathing in a bathtub full of water. TFD personnel immediately performed CPR and rushed the child to a local hospital.

The child remains in critical condition in the hospital.

Upon investigation, detectives from TPD’s Dependent Child Unit learned that 27-year-old Zada Davis was caring for the baby, as well as her 7-year-old child, and another 8-month old baby.

Davis put the baby in the bathtub sometime between 2 p.m, and 2:30 p.m., leaving the water running with toys in the tub, TPD officials state. She then began doing other things around the house, leaving the child alone in the bathroom. After about 10 minutes, Davis returned and found the bathtub overflowing, with the child floating in the water.

Davis pulled the baby out of the tub and called 911, and a neighbor performed CPR until Tucson Fire personnel arrived. The other children in the house were not involved in the incident.

As a result of the investigation, Davis was arrested and charged with one count of felony Child Abuse and booked into Pima County Jail.

GILBERT, AZ – A 5-year-old New Mexico boy has died after being pulled from a community pool in the Phoenix suburb of Gilbert.

Gilbert Fire spokesman Brian Ruffentine said the child was found in the main pool at the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse near Baseline and Val Vista roads.

Gilbert police said Sunday that 5-year-old Clayden Hammond was with his older brother and grandmother at the pool when he was found unconscious Saturday.

Ruffentine said it was unknown how long the boy had been in the water.

Adults at the scene started CPR before firefighters arrived.

He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and taken off life support overnight.

It’s unclear how the boy drowned in the pool, which was filled with other families.

Clayden, his brother and their parents were visiting the Phoenix area from New Mexico.

Police did not know where in New Mexico they were from.

A 4-year-old boy had a close call in a community pool in Maricopa mid-afternoon Sunday.

The unidentified boy was swimming with family members in the Villages subdivision near John Wayne Parkway and Smith Enke Road when he began to struggle.

“He went under and took a couple of big gulps of water, and family members pulled him out of the pool,” said Jon Sheaffer, a firefighter and spokesman with the Maricopa Fire Department.

Family members began CPR, and the boy coughed and vomited. He was taken to Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa to be checked out as a precaution.

“It was fortunate, not necessarily that it happened, but that his family members were keeping an eye on him, or else it could have been tragic,” Sheaffer said.

Maricopa firefighters go into schools to deliver messages about fire and water safety.

“Whether that program had an impact, I can’t say … but it brings awareness,” Sheaffer said.

“Even if it’s a matter of seconds, keep your eyes on your little ones and other people’s little ones.”

WICKENBURG, AZ – Authorities say a man died after his vehicle was swept down a wash near Wickenburg on Saturday night.

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, 65-year-old Richard Leonard Evans was traveling home just after 6 p.m. when he tried to drive his SUV through a wash crossing Red Hill Road.

“We saw him come down the road, there was a river flowing really high in the wash. We told him not to go through it but he told us it wasn’t that bad,” said neighbor Guy Rodmonich.

The roadway was flooded and he was swept away. Evans was just a few feet from his driveway.

Rescuers reached Evans and transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“We saw him trying to steer the SUV. He was hitting every tree in his path. We tried to rescue him but there was nothing we could do,” said Brandon Pruitt who watched the scene unfold.

MCSO spokesman Chris Hegstrom said Evans’ vehicle was nose down in the dirt and there was water in the vehicle when he was found.

“The roads are treacherous,” Hegstrom said. “Can’t stress enough that if you see water on the roadway flowing at any speed you don’t know how deep it is. You need to avoid the area, it’s not safe.”

Hegstrom said deputies helped with a number of water rescues in the area, including one with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in which the MCSO helicopter was used.