4-year-old boy flown to hospital after near-drowning in northeast Nebraska lake

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A 4-year-old boy was nearly killed on what was supposed to be a sunny day at the beach.

Stanton County deputies were called to Maskenthine Lake just before 5 p.m. Sunday on a report of a near-drowning.

A witness told authorities the boy had taken off his life jacket a few yards from the shore. He was then seen struggling in the water.

Sheriff Mike Unger and two deputies found him unresponsive and began life-saving measures.

Medical crews from Pilger and Stanton stabilized the boy before a medical helicopter flew him to Children’s Hospital in Omaha.

Staff with the Natural Resources District closed the beach afterward.

Unger said the boy and his family, from Lindsay, Nebraska, were at the lake to celebrate a birthday.

The boy’s current condition is unknown.

Maskenthine Lake has been the scene of six fatal drownings since 1988, Unger said.