PALMDALE : Toddler Nearly Drowns in Bucket

Sheriff’s deputies and paramedics rescued a 10-month-old Palmdale boy who had nearly drowned in a bucket of water and household cleaning fluid Thursday, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

The boy was in “critical, very guarded” condition Thursday evening, said Earl Jones, a nursing administrator at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar.

The toddler fell head first into the half-full five-gallon bucket at his home in the 1600 block of East Avenue R-7 about 12:40 p.m., Fire Inspector Devin Trone said. The child’s mother was using the cleaning solution to wash floors. She “left for about three minutes and the kid’s head was in the bucket,” Trone said. “He lost his balance and fell head first into the bucket.”

The toddler was not breathing when deputies arrived and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Paramedics continued resuscitation as deputies rushed the medical team and the baby to Palmdale Hospital Medical Center in the back of a patrol car, Trone said.

Doctors restored the boy’s heartbeat and the child was airlifted to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Trone said.