The survival of six-year-old Amber Waggerby from the freezing waters of the Great Salt Lake is likely a rare case of survival from drowning because of hypothermia, says Dr. Howard Corneli.
The young girl still struggles for her life as she remains in critical condition at Primary Children's Medical Center. Hospital spokesman Howard Noel said Wednesday that Amber's breathing is assisted by a ventilator.Her mother, Melisa Peterson, 22, Tooele, and passenger Michelle Hamilton, 25, Salt Lake City, drowned after the car in which they were riding plunged into the Great Salt Lake Friday night.
The car was submerged in 20 feet of icy water for nearly an hour and a half. When a diver arrived, he discovered Amber barely alive in her mother's arms.
Police officers report that the women apparently found an air pocket in the back seat of the car that offered about 10 minutes of air.
Corneli, co-director of Primary Children's emergency services, speculated that Amber's mother may have actually saved her daughter's life by holding her in the air pocket, allowing the child more time to breath and a chance for her body to cool.
Five or six minutes without oxygen will cause brain damage unless the body is protected rapidly by severe coolings, said Corneli.
Hypothermia slows circulation, reduces pain and shock, and lessens the body's oxygen requirements.
Most frequently, the condition has fatal complications - but in rare cases, it buys time, said Corneli. Because children are smaller, their bodies cool quickly. Therefore, they may have a greater chance of survival.
Sadly, many children who survive near-drowning accidents suffer brain damage after they are resuscitated.
Utah had a notable success case in 1986 involving the survival and recovery of 2-year-old Michelle Funk. The girl was under water for more than an hour in Bells Canyon Creek before she was rescued.
Utah highway patrol officers reported Peterson failed to make a turn on the Stansbury exit of I-80 and slid into the Great Salt Lake. Poor weather conditions were probably the cause of the accident.