BUCKEYE, AZ — An 8-year-old boy has been taken to the hospital after apparently being injured on a zip line at a home in the West Valley, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Sgt. Calbert Gillett, spokesperson for MCSO, said in an email that deputies and emergency crews were called to the home near Elliot Road and 212th Avenue at 5:01 p.m. on Monday.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition before being airlifted to Phoenix Children's, officials said.
On Tuesday morning, Sgt. Gillett said, citing medical staff, that the child remained in "very critical condition," but was stable.
In his email, Gillett also said, "[i]t is believed the child suffered a strangulation injury, while attempting to ride the zip-line [sic]." He said no charges have been filed.
The zip line was in the family’s back yard, and the platform appeared to be roughly 30 feet off the ground. Multiple police and MCSO vehicles were outside the home, which sits on a large plot of land. Detectives spent hours on scene investigating in the backyard.
In a brief phone conversation, the boy’s mother told ABC15 both parents were heading to the hospital to be with their child. The mother said her son “did have a heartbeat.”
The family has many other children and is associated with a local church.
Yesterday, MCSO has said it does appear to be an accident.
The zip line platform... pic.twitter.com/M2BQhAeKkP
— Zach Crenshaw (@ZachCrenshaw) June 25, 2019
This is a developing story. We will update our story as more information comes into the newsroom.
