Boys aged 11 and 12 airlifted out of state park after ‘roughhousing’ incident left one of them unconscious

Two Illinois boys were airflited out of Matthiessen State Park Friday after a “roughhousing” incident during a school field trip turned dangerous.

Emergency crews responded to the park around 12:45 p.m. following a report that an adult chaperone began CPR on an unconscious juvenile near the Lower Dells area, Illinois Conservation Police Sergeant Phil Wire told Shaw Local.

The situation unfolded when an 11-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy, part of the school outing involving more than 50 students, were “rough-housing and engaging in horseplay” in the water, Wire said. One of the boys inhaled water and briefly lost consciousness at the park, which is located about 90 miles southwest of Chicago.

First responders arrived about 15 minutes after the dispatch call and found both boys conscious and alert, though they were still showing signs of shock and distress, according to reports.

Out of an abundance of caution, the children were separately airlifted in two helicopters to OSF Children's Hospital of Illinois for further evaluation.

Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, according to CBS News Chicago.

The Independent has contacted the Illinois Conservation Police for comment.

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