UPDATE: Maine Toddler Dies After Drowning in Plastic Bin

UPDATE: Maine State Police on Thursday reported that a one-year-old boy has died in the hospital after a drowning incident Tuesday evening in central Maine

ORIGINAL STORY:

Maine State Police are investigating after a woman found her one-year-old son unresponsive in a plastic bin containing water in the Kennebec County town of Clinton.

Just before 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening, the Clinton Police Department was called to a home on Elwood Drive for a report of a drowning. The one-year-old boy was found by his mother outside their home in a “plastic tote that had water in it,” according to Shannon Moss of the Maine Department of Public Safety. Police said another child had alerted the mother that the little boy was in the bin.

A Clinton police officer arrived within four minutes of receiving the call and took over CPR from adults at the scene. Rescue crews arrived and continued to perform life saving measures while the toddler was transported to a local hospital.

The little boy was later flown by LifeFlight to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he was placed on life support.

Maine State Police Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Experts say any amount of water deep enough to cover the mouth and nose, which can be less than two inches, can cause drowning. In the case of a child this can occur in under 20 seconds. In some instances, as little as a half cup of water entering the lungs can lead to drowning.