Girl pulled from Millerton Lake still in critical condition

A 16-year-old girl was attempting to rescue her younger brother at Millerton Lake when she went underwater, State Park Peace Officer Mark De Leon said Monday.

The boy, who wasn’t a skilled swimmer, was having a hard time when his sister went into the water near McKenzie Point shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday. The pair were in an unguarded swim beach area, and the girl was not wearing a life jacket.

The brother made it safely to shore, but the girl was found unconscious, floating 15 to 20 feet from the shoreline, De Leon said.

It was unclear how long the girl was underwater, De Leon said, due to conflicting reports from family members and passersby. The range was between two and 10 minutes before authorities were notified.

Lifeguards on foot and watercraft, Cal Fire, State park officials and a four-person dive team were dispatched to the location where the girl was found, De Leon said, pulling her from the water and beginning CPR within two minutes of receiving the call.

The girl had been visiting Millerton with her brother, father and mother, but De Leon said it was the vigilance of visitors, who saw the girl floating in the water, that helped pinpoint her location to authorities.

“If it wasn’t for good Samaritans, we would’ve had a tough time finding her, and this could have been a different story,” De Leon said.

The unidentified teen was rushed to St. Agnes Medical Center, and transported late Sunday night to Valley Children’s Hospital Intensive Care Unit, De Leon said, where her condition remained critical.

This story was originally published May 25, 2015 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Girl pulled from Millerton Lake still in critical condition."