Kea Rodrigues, the 14-year-old boy who was rescued while swimming at Dougan Falls on the upper Washougal River on Friday, was listed in critical condition Tuesday night at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland.
About noon Friday, Kea’s leg became wedged between boulders under a small waterfall in a popular but remote swimming area, 17 miles from Washougal in Skamania County.
Several swimmers jumped into a rib-deep pool and struggled in the ice-cold current to hold Kea’s head above water.
While many swimmers stood together upstream trying to divert the water, others alerted the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office, Fire District 4 and the Emergency Medical Services department.
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Officials rushed to the scene, including East County Fire & Rescue and the joint Technical Rescue Team of the Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire District 6.
Local officials, according to witnesses and a rescuer, sent a single scuba diver into the water to help the civilian rescuers.
Once civilian and official rescuers pulled the boy from the water with a rope, paramedics performed intensive lifesaving efforts. Kea was flown to a Vancouver hospital by Life Flight helicopter, then transferred to Emanuel.
Still on Tuesday night, very limited information about the incident was available from public officials.
Kea is a resident of Wilsonville, Ore., officials said in a short bulletin Friday night.
Kea’s sister, Lahaina Rodrigues, created a website about him with the following post:
“Kea was in an awful accident on July 9, 2010 at Dougan Falls. He was LifeFlighted to Southwest Washington Medical Center where he received excellent care from the Emergency Team. The support staff was also top notch. He was transferred to Emanuel Children’s Hospital once he was stable. His heart stopped a total of three times. He’s fighting to live and is a strong young man. All of his organs had shut down and they’re all trying to recover. The water was cold and that helped preserve them. He’s currently on a ventilator to allow his lungs to heal. Emanuel is the best place for him to be and the doctors are encouraged by his continual progress. Thank you!”
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