Three save drowning boy in Mason City

Three adults saved a nine-year-old boy from drowning in a fast-moving creek in Mason City. Nine-year-old Gene VanDeest was trying to cross the creek with a couple of older buddies around mid-day Sunday. The kids were walking on a dam, but slipped and fell in the creek. The two older boys, who are 12 years old, were able to get out, but their younger friend couldn’t fight the swift current. Three adults who were nearby helped save the boy. A man and a woman from Mason City and a man from Minnesota who was visiting the area jumped in and saved VanDeest. The boy was treated at a local hospital and released. The National Weather Service is urging north central Iowans to be cautious around streams and rivers. Due to recent rains, the Winnebago River is to reach flood stage in the next couple of days. Willow Creek, the stream where the rescue was staged, drains into the Winnebago River.