6-year-old Illinois boy rescued from Indiana sand dune has been upgraded to good condition

7/20/2013

CHICAGO — Doctors say the 6-year-old Illinois boy rescued after spending hours buried beneath an Indiana sand dune is improving at a Chicago hospital.

Dr. Rachel Wolfson of Comer Children's Hospital says Nathan Woessner's condition has been upgraded from serious to good.

The Sterling boy was buried for more than three hours at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore before rescuers pulled him from 11 feet of sand on July 12. He was limp and cold, but began breathing on his way to the hospital.

Doctors have said the boy is expected to make a full neurological recovery, though he may suffer lingering lung problems from inhaling sand.

Earlier this week, he was removed from a ventilator and has been breathing on his own. He's also been responding to commands.