Texas Teen Dies after Creek Rescue

June 28, 2007
William Griffin, 13, was playing near Duck Creek when the water started to rise.

FORT WORTH, Texas --

A teenage boy from Garland died overnight Tuesday after rescuers attempted to pull him from a flooded creek, police said.

William Griffin, 13, was playing near Duck Creek when the water started to rise at about 8 p.m. The boy sought refuge while his friend went to call for help.

When rescuers arrived they found the boy clinging to a bridge support in the center of the creek. Crews tried to pull Griffin from the water using a lifeline, but he slipped and was carried downstream, police said.

Three police officers jumped in the water in an attempt to save the boy, but they were pulled down by the creek's current and struggled to get themselves back to shore, police said.

Officials began quickly working their way down the creek line looking for the boy, but nearly two and a half hours would pass before Griffin was found.

Garland police said the boy was located just after 10:30 p.m., lodged in a tall, weeded area at the creek's edge near Kingsley Road. Firefighters pulled the boy from the water and began CPR before transporting him to Baylor Hospital of Garland.

Griffin was pronounced dead at about 11:30 p.m.

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