Accident Report for Timpoweap Canyon

SALT LAKE CITY -- A 2-year-old boy was pulled from the Virgin River in Washington County Wednesday night. It's at least the sixth time in the last few weeks that a child has fallen into a Utah waterway.

Doctors at Primary Children's Medical Center are optimistic about his recovery. He is currently breathing on his own after being found unconscious in the river.

The boy was camping with his mother and her boyfriend in the area between La Verkin and Virgin Wednesday night near Zion National Park. Around 8:30 he somehow fell into the Virgin River at Sheep Bridge.

It's believed that the boy was in the water for about five minutes before he was found.

Lt. Rob Tersigni with the Washington County Sheriff's Office said, "He became unconscious. The boyfriend pulled him out of the river. They began working on him. Apparently he got to the hospital and they restored his breathing."

After his breathing was restored at a hospital in southern Utah, the boy was flown to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

Lt. Tersigni says the boy and his family are from the Washington County area. He says overnight law enforcement has been working with them, gathering the details of what exactly happened and how this boy ended up in the river.

Lt. Tersigni says because it was dark, investigators were not able to get a good look at the area, so they'll be going back to the scene with the family this morning.

In the past few weeks five children have fallen into Utah waterways and died. One of those tragic accidents involved a 15-year-old boy who also fell into the Virgin River.