Toddler to be released from hospital after suffering electric shock at Indio park

A representative for the city of Indio said a 2-year-old girl who suffered an electrical shock at South Jackson Soccer Park last week, is recovering nicely and is expected to be released from the hospital soon. The city is now looking into what caused the incident.

“A child made contact with one of our junction boxes which was electrically activated somehow,” said city Principal Management Analyst, PJ Gagajena. “What we suspect is that one of our electrical wires somehow was stripped, and made electrical contact to one of the tamper-proof lids on the junction box and that was how the electrical box lid was electricfied.”

It was approximately 6:50 p.m. when the girl was injured after playing near a light pole. The original Incident Information Fact Sheet released by the Riverside County Fire Department stated personnel responded to reports of a young child suffering from a burn injury at the 46000 Block of Jackson Street in Indio. Officials said the girl’s hands were burned after touching a hot electrical box.

“Obviously, we’re praying the child and their family at this point,” said Gagajena .

The girl was transported by air ambulance to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton with moderate burn injuries, said officials. According to the Indio Police Department, the child was airlifted strictly because of her age and the moderate burns on her hands. The injuries were not life threatening.

Late Monday afternoon, Gagajena told KESQ News Channel 3’s and CBS Local 2’s Katie Widner that the child was recovering well in the hospital and had no lingering effects. He said she had no burns and that her family was expecting her to be released soon.

The city said it is not clear what exactly happened, but it could have been the result of the recent rains and a malfunction with the electrical equipment on the pole, which is one of many inside the park. The immediate area houses numerous sports fields, picnic tables and the Indio Boys and Girls club. Gagajena said the city is doing everything it can to make sure all of the 15-20 parks in the city are safe.

“We are inspecting all of our park facilities right now. We want to tell the public that our parks are safe and they’re for you to use,” he said. “Rest assured, there are no issues with live, electrical power or any potential situations that could provide electrical contact.”

Gagajena said the city has nearly $3-million in grants that is going to be allocated for park safety. He said he is working with the Indio Police Department and the Imperial Irrigation District to determine what went wrong.

IID was requested to inspect the electrical box after the child was injured.

Media Communications Officer for the company, Marion Champion, would not go into detail about the incident over the phone because it took place on city property, and would not provide an on-camera interview, but released the following statement by email:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the girl and her family. At IID, we take the safety of our customers and employees very seriously. We’d like to remind our customers to stay clear of our electrical infrastructure, this includes transformer boxes, poles and lines. Should you notice something out of the ordinary, such as a line down or leaning pole, stay away and call us immediately at 1-800-303-7756. We have staff available 24-hours a day ready to respond.”

You can find more information on electrical safety at www.iid.com/safety.