Child dies in Fernan Lake

COEUR d'ALENE - A 5-year-old boy died and a 1-year-old boy was in critical condition on Sunday night after the vehicle they were riding in slid into Fernan Lake.

According to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, mother Sarah Deshazer, 25, of Coeur d'Alene, was turning around in the middle of the two-lane Fernan Lake Road about three-eighths of a mile east of Lakeshore Drive at 1:45 p.m. when one wheel went off the roadway causing the vehicle to slide down the embankment.

"The vehicle went in backward," Sheriff's Major Ben Wolfinger said.

At some point before the Dodge Durango became submerged, Deshazer and her husband, Michael Deshazer, 28, got out of the vehicle, but could not reach their children before the vehicle was submerged in about 12 feet of murky water, Wolfinger said.

"The children were in the water about 15 minutes," Wolfinger said, adding that the temperature was 70 degrees. "Anytime you lose a child, it's a terrible tragedy."

Fire department personnel recovered both children from the submerged vehicle and started CPR.

The children were initially transported to Kootenai Medical Center, where the 5-year-old boy was pronounced dead. The 1-year-old boy was air-lifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane.

Wolfinger said there were witnesses, but he wasn't sure if they were on land or in the water. He didn't know any details on recovery efforts before emergency crews arrived.

"Twelve feet doesn't sound too far, but it's a long way under water if you don't have a mask to help out," Wolfinger said.

An investigation continues.