SAN PEDRO, Calif. – The Coast Guard medevaced a 4-year-old boy who was experiencing severe respiratory problems from Catalina Island, Calif., early Friday morning just after midnight.
The Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach Command Center received the request for help from the Catalina medical facility for the young boy. A Coast Guard Flight Surgeon recommended immediate transport to a hospital on the mainland.
Air Station Los Angeles launched a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter with a paramedic from the L.A. County Fire Department onboard, and transported the boy and his mother to the Emergency Pediatric Unit at Long Beach Memorial Hospital.
A commercial air transport company was originally contacted but was unable to complete the mission due to low visibility.