Members of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team revealed the events that transpired Friday when they had to save a
The 18-month-old girl was doing fine Friday night after emergency responders flew her from the Stonyvale picnic area to the Northridge Hospital Medical Center, said Sheriff's Reserve Chief Mike Leum.
It was not immediately known if the baby was kept overnight at the hospital.
The Search and Rescue Team had deployed in the area just before 5 p.m., Friday, when minutes after re-starting the search for missing Bakersfield resident , search and rescue member Janet Henderson noticed the baby floating face down in the river.
"Henderson and I started running upstream when the mother grabbed the lifeless baby from the water. The mother handed me the baby, who was not breathing, limp, and blue in color," Leum said. Leum then performed proper resuscitation efforts on the baby.
The baby then coughed up copious amounts of water and started breathing again, but struggled to do so. An air rescue helicopter was immediately summoned and the mother and baby were driven to the landing zone on Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Vogel Flats Road where they were flown out.
The baby and a 3-year-old child were reportedly being watched by a family member when the 3-year-old ran away from the adult. The baby wandered into the river while the adult was districted, officials said.
"Due to the quick response of the Montrose Search and Rescue Team who were in the immediate area, their actions likely prevented the child’s death," officials said.
