Pair rescued after falling into river

Sun., May 23, 2004

From staff reports

WALLACE – A 50-year-old man and 2-year-old girl were in serious condition at area hospitals Saturday night, after they were rescued from the Coeur d’Alene River on Friday night.

Police and fire officials, along with community members, rushed to help search for the two people after they fell into the river shortly after 8:20 p.m. Shoshone County Sheriff’s Cpl. Tom Pipkin and emergency medical technician Greg Cummings jumped into the river, which was flowing cold and high from the rain, and were crucial to efforts to rescue the pair, according to the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the sheriff’s office, Warren Null was in serious condition at Kootenai Memorial Hospital. The 2-year-old girl, a resident of the Wallace area who was not identified, was also in serious condition, at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

Deputy Thom Kolb saw Null, with the child in his arms, fall into the South Fork of the river in the area behind the sheriff’s office in Wallace. A search was immediately started, involving all available deputies, fire officials and citizens.

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