CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Tenn. — A 1-year-old boy is in the hospital after he was found unconscious in a small fish pond in Crossville, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies responded to a home on Potato Farm Road after receiving reports of an unresponsive child in a pond on Saturday, May 1.
When they arrived, deputies saw the boy's father, John Neal, performing CPR on one-year-old Samuel, according to an incident report. One of the deputies took over CPR until EMS arrived. The responding medical team was able to regain a pulse in the boy.
Deputies spoke with the boys' parents, John and Lacie Neal, who said Samuel had been missing for around 3 to 5 minutes before they found him in the pond and he was not breathing. John began to administer CPR with help from the dispatcher until law enforcement arrived, according to the report.
Samuel was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center by helicopter, according to officials.
He was transferred to East Tennessee Children's Hospital once he was stabilized, according to a Facebook post from his mom, Lacie.
According to a post from his dad in a Facebook group called Prayers for Samuel, Samuel is still in the hospital and has damage to both sides of his brain.
A different post from his mom said his fever is dropping, he is moving his legs and he opened his eyes a bit, but he is "not out of the woods yet."
A GoFundMe was started to support the family.
The incident report said a Department of Children's Services referral has been made on the matter, which is standard practice in such cases.
Knowing how to perform is a skill that could save lives. First, officials said people should make sure the infant is not asleep and if they aren't, people should start compressions.
To do that, they need to place two fingers on the center of the infant's chest and push at least 100 beats per minute, or 30 compressions to every two breaths. Compressions should be one inch deep, officials said. This can be used for infants less than 2 years old, officials said.