Illinois boy rescued from Indiana sand dune still in critical condition at Chicago hospital

July 16, 2013 at 2:22PM
Michigan City police and firefighters dig with shovels to rescue 6 year old Nathan Woessner, of Sterling, Ill., who was trapped for over three hours under about 11 feet of sand at Mount Baldy dune near Michigan City, Ind., on Friday July 12, 2013.
Michigan City police and firefighters dig with shovels to rescue 6 year old Nathan Woessner, of Sterling, Ill., who was trapped for over three hours under about 11 feet of sand at Mount Baldy dune near Michigan City, Ind., on Friday July 12, 2013. (Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

CHICAGO — A 6-year-old Illinois boy remains in critical condition after he spent hours buried beneath an Indiana sand dune.

A spokesman for the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital says Tuesday that Nathan Woessner's (WAYZ'-ners) condition remains unchanged.

The Sterling boy was buried for more than three hours before rescuers pulled him from beneath 11 feet of sand on Friday. He was limp and cold, but began breathing on his way to the hospital.

Doctors say he's expected to recover and should be released in about two weeks.

The Mount Baldy area at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore will remain closed indefinitely following the accident.

Authorities believe Woessner may have fallen into a hole that was created by a long-buried tree that had decomposed, leaving a void in the sand.

Don Ruel, the grandfather of six year-old Nathan Woessner, speaks during a news conference,accompanied by Dr. Tracy Koogler, medical director of pediatric intensive care at the University of Chicago Medical Center Monday, July 15, 2013, in Chicago.
Don Ruel, the grandfather of six year-old Nathan Woessner, speaks during a news conference,accompanied by Dr. Tracy Koogler, medical director of pediatric intensive care at the University of Chicago Medical Center Monday, July 15, 2013, in Chicago. (Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This undated photo provided by the Woessner family via The University of Chicago Hospital, shows Nathan Woessner.
This undated photo provided by the Woessner family via The University of Chicago Hospital, shows Nathan Woessner. (Associated Press - Ap/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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