Three-year-old Tyler James Skagerberg drowned in a swimming pool in the yard of his family's Wrenshall home on Sunday.
According to the Carlton County Sheriff's office, Dispatch received a call reporting the incident at approximately 5:30 p.m. that day.
Squads from Wrenshall First Responders, Carlton Ambulance, Carlton County Sheriff's Office, and Cloquet Fire Department were dispatched to the scene.
Nick Shanda, one of three first responders from Wrenshall Fire and Rescue, was first to report to the scene, reporting he was there within a minute's time, since he and the others all live within a mile and a half of the Skagerberg home.
At the time he arrived, Shanda said family members had already started performing CPR on the boy, who had been discovered in the family's above-ground pool by his 5-year-old brother.
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Tyler was reportedly unresponsive at the time family members pulled him out of the pool.
In relating the events that led up to the drowning, Shanda said the little boy had been in the house, where his mother had been going up and down stairs doing laundry. She did not realize the little boy had left the house until his grandma and grandpa (who also live there) arrived home.
"Whenever they arrive home," related Shanda, "Tyler always comes running to greet them. Everyone referred to him as 'Grandpa's shadow.'"
When the little boy didn't appear, the family began searching for him. Though children of other family members were playing outside, none was aware where the little boy had gone.
It was at that time the 5-year-old discovered his brother in the pool, which Shanda said has five-foot-high sides, making it impossible to see into it unless standing right up next to it.
"The family always removed the ladder from the pool as a safety precaution," said Shanda.
Although it is uncertain just how the little boy got into the pool, Shanda speculated he might possibly have climbed up by way of the circulating pump.
A Carlton County Sheriff's deputy was next on the scene, and he immediately initiated transport of the boy in his squad car. Shanda said when the squad was intercepted by Carlton Fire and Rescue, he was transferred into that unit and transported toward Cloquet, at which time it was intercepted by the Cloquet Advanced Life Support Unit, who completed the transport to Community Memorial Hospital.
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In spite of the best efforts of all personnel involved, the child was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The family pool was dismantled by officers at the scene following the incident, and in a statement later released by the sheriff's department, owners of pools and ponds were reminded to be aware of the dangers associated with them.
Tyler was the son of Terry and Mistie Skagerberg.
Pine Journal Publisher Wendy Johnson can be contacted at: wjohnson@pinejournal.com .
