Higganum child dies days after falling from kayak into Connecticut River, official says
Haddam — A 5-year-old boy who was pulled from the Connecticut River last weekend in critical condition died on Wednesday, a Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection official said.
The boy was identified Friday as Jaxon Podbielski, of Higganum. He was transported to the Connecticut Children's Hospital after he was pulled from the river. His cause of death has not been determined, said James Fowler, a senior adviser at DEEP.
Podbielski and a man in a kayak both ended up in the water. Emergency officials responded to the area of Depot Hill Road around 3:15 p.m. last Saturday to investigate a reported boating accident, according to Will Healey, a spokesperson for DEEP.
The Haddam Volunteer Fire Co. said it also responded to a reported pediatric cardiac arrest after a near-drowning.
Further details were not immediately available, Fowler said.
Staff writers Lisa Backus and Richard Chumney contributed to this report.
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