Overview
- Two boys, ages 11 and 12, were roughhousing in the water at Matthiessen State Park when one inhaled water and lost consciousness and an adult chaperone began CPR.
- The incident, which occurred Friday, prompted area fire departments and Illinois Conservation Police to be dispatched about 12:39–12:45 p.m. and to request air medical evacuation.
- Both children were conscious and breathing but showed signs of shock when they were separately airlifted to OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois in Peoria, and authorities said their injuries were not life-threatening.
- Rescue efforts involved local fire crews, conservation police and medical helicopter teams who carried out a rapid evacuation from the park’s more remote Lower Dells area to a regional hospital.
- The episode highlights common safety challenges for large school field trips near natural waterways, the life-saving value of prompt bystander CPR and the reliance on air medical transport for remote rescues while officials have provided only limited follow-up on the boys’ conditions.