Boy Trapped Under Sand at National Lakeshore’s Mount Baldy

Date: July 15, 2013
Contact: Bruce Rowe, 219-395-1609

INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE: National park rangers and Michigan City Police were notified at approximately 4:30 p.m. on July 12 that a 6-year old boy had fallen into a hole on the Mount Baldy sand dune at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A rescue effort was conducted by National Park Service personnel, Michigan City Police and Fire units, LaPorte County EMS and heavy equipment operators from D & M Excavators, Woodruff and Son, and NIPSCO. The boy was found 11 feet below the surface of the dune and transported to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Michigan City and then later flown to a medical facility in Chicago. The boy has vital signs, but his exact condition is not yet known.
 
Mount Baldy will remain closed over the weekend while an investigation into the cause of this accident is conducted. A determination will be made Monday morning on whether it will be reopened.
 
www.nps.gov/indu

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is part of the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 401 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.