Boy rescued from culvert regains consciousness

An eight-year-boy who was swept into a culvert by floodwaters and nearly drowned is recovering

Samuel Gross, who has been in a coma for the past 13 days, has regained consciousness and is speaking, CBC News was told Thursday. He was sent to hospital in critical condition on April 9.

Witnesses said Gross was playing with friends and thought he was stepping onto a road covered with about 10 centimetres of water. Instead, he stepped on a culvert and was pulled under by the force of the flowing water, according to RCMP.

The incident happened on the Westroc Hutterite Colony near Portage la Prairie.

A relative, Gilbert Gross, was one of several adults who helped pull the boy out of the culvert. He estimates the boy was underwater for five to 10 minutes.

Gross was flown by air ambulance to the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg.