2-year-old severely scalded in San Jacinto – airlifted to trauma center

June 11, 2016 Trevor Montgomery

Paramedics and firefighters work on the young victim before he was flown to a trauma center. Ricardo Ruelas photo

SAN JACINTO – A 2-year-old suffered “significant” traumatic injuries when he was scalded with boiling water on his face and abdomen. The child was injured on Friday, June 10, according to a Riverside County Fire official. The tragic incident occurred in the 1100 block of Sundew Way, in San Jacinto.

Riverside County emergency communications dispatchers received a 911 call reporting the incident at 4:38 p.m., Newman said.

Emergency first responders from multiple agencies rushed to the juvenile medical aid call. Paramedics and fire personnel treated the victim – who has not been identified – at the scene before they transported him first by ground ambulance to Megan Cope Elementary School in San Jacinto. He was then flown by Mercy Air Life Flight to a local trauma center.

Multiple first responders assisted in the traumatically scaled child. Ricardo Ruelas photo

Ranee Garcia, who witnessed the young victim being loaded into the Life Flight helicopter, talked to Ricardo Ruelas of Hemet News about the incident and what she saw when the young victim was flown to a trauma center.

“I was passing by the school on Cottonwood Avenue when I saw a bunch of firefighters trying to get into the school as fast as they could,” Garcia said. “Within minutes, we saw the Life Flight helicopter. It flew around the school and then landed on the grass.”

“(The paramedics) must have been working on (the child) for at least an hour before the helicopter landed in the field.

The victim’s injuries were categorized as major, Newman explained in a press release.

The severely scalded child was transported to the elementary school before being flown to an area trauma center. Ricardo Ruelas photo

The circumstances regarding the scalding and how it happened have not yet been released by the fire department or investigation officials from the Riverside County Sheriff’s San Jacinto Police Station.

No further information was readily available at the time of this report.

This is a breaking story. More information will be added when it becomes available.