South Walton Fire District Advanced Life Support (ALS) Units transported a child to the hospital in critical condition Wednesday afternoon after the patient was pulled from the Gulf of Mexico around 3 p.m.
- The incident occurred on the beach near Gulfview Heights Street when a lifeguard was enroute to another medical call and was stopped by bystanders.
The bystanders alerted the lifeguard to a group of people assisting a child back to shore. Witnesses reported to the lifeguard that the child was discovered floating face down in the water around 3 p.m. near the second sandbar.
According to the SWFD, one of their lifeguards then entered the water to assist all people back to shore, who had already initiated CPR and lifesaving care. Additional SWFD ALS units then arrived on scene and assumed patient care before transporting the child to the hospital.
Yellow and purple flags were flying at the time of the incident, indicating a moderate risk of rip currents and hazards, as well as the presence of jellyfish.
