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UTAH COUNTY -- A little girl swept away by the swift waters of the Provo River Monday is fighting to survive. Now authorities are reminding everyone to use extreme caution near Utah's waterways.
Despite the hot, dry weather, many rivers and creeks are still running high. Utah County sheriff's deputies say the 8-year-old girl was playing on the banks of the river near Bridal Veil Falls when she slipped in.
Three family members jumped in after her but weren't able to get to her in time. The current took her nearly a mile downstream.
It was a citizen who saw her between Nunns Park and Canyon Glen and alerted rescuers. She had been in the water for more than 30 minutes.
"It looks like there was some debris in the river that she was located with," said Utah County sheriff's Lt. Mike Brower.
As the girl was pulled from the water, rescuers immediately started CPR. She was loaded into a medical helicopter and flown to Primary Children's Medical Center where she remains in critical condition.
"The river will tend to be relentless and really doesn't give up, and is underestimated by many," said Deputy Brent Davis, deputy sheriff of the Salt Lake County Search and Rescue Squad.
Davis says the mountain runoff can keep river temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees even in the hottest summer months. He says people should keep children and pets at a safe distance from the water.
Once someone falls in, every second matters.
"You may only have a few minutes to struggle to survive before the cold water takes all the energy out of you, and pretty soon you find yourself a victim to the water," Davis said.
Two of the three relatives that jumped in the river also went a hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
Authorities also say the girl's parents were not there when this happened, but they are traveling to get to her.
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Compiled with contributions from Whit Johnson, Courtney Orton and Randall Jeppesen
