Boy, 4, impaled by stick
Staff writer
A 4-year-old boy was taken Friday night to a Wichita pediatric trauma center after a stick became lodged in his chest while he was playing outside.
The child’s parents drove him to St. Luke Hospital, where paramedics and firefighters were called to help with treatment and prepare him for transfer.
Firefighters trimmed the stick so the boy could be X-rayed before he was transported.
Marion County emergency crews took him to Wesley Medical Center, leaving St. Luke at 9:22 p.m. and arriving at 10:23 p.m. Care was transferred at 10:26 p.m., according to EMS records.
The injury was treated as a Level 1 trauma precaution, the highest level of response, typically used for serious or potentially life-threatening injuries, because it involved a penetrating wound to the chest, county ambulance director Mickey Price said.
However, the boy appeared stable and was transported without lights and sirens. The injury was not believed to be life-threatening. The boy’s identity has not been released.