Girl who fell into creek to be taken off support

An 8-year-old Spokane girl, who was critically injured after falling into a northern Pend Oreille County creek Thursday morning, was to be removed from life support Friday night, authorities said.

Pend Oreille County sheriff’s officials said the girl was riding a small motorcycle on a Forest Service road when she fell into the west branch of LeClerc Creek about 15 miles southeast of Ione.

Sgt. Questin Youk said the girl was in the area with members of her family, but there was no eyewitness to the accident.

Investigators speculated that the girl may have lost her balance when she stopped on a bridge over the creek, which was gorged with spring runoff, Youk said.

The victim’s name was not being released Friday.

The sheriff’s office received a call for help at 10:50 a.m. Thursday and were told about a half-dozen people already were searching for the girl.

Youk said emergency workers and volunteers from eight agencies searched about an hour before finding her under a log in the creek about 100 yards downstream.

The victim was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and was flown by MedStar to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane in critical condition.

Youk said the girl had been wearing a helmet and a plastic chest protector.