A family's idyllic day enjoying fresh snow in North Carolina was shattered when their toddler son tragically died in a sledding accident.
Aiden Sasser was playing outside in Whitsett, North Carolina, on Saturday when his sled fell into a nearby pond and became trapped under the ice, the Guilford County Sheriff's Office said. Police declined to release Sasser's age.
Hysterical audio from a 911 call captures the frantic seconds after a freak accident in a small town.
“Please, please,” an unidentified woman can be heard telling the operator. “The ice is thin and they're trying to get to him. They're trying to help.”
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Listen to 911 audio:
The caller said the boy was near the middle of the lake and two people jumped into the water to rescue him.
“I think they got him, but it's really cold,” she said. “I don't know. He had been there for quite some time. It was probably freezing cold.”
“I don't think I'm okay. I'm scared. I don't want him to die,” a sobbing man could be heard saying on the phone.
Brian and Angel Sasser and their son Aiden. (Angel Sasser/Facebook)
The child was successfully rescued from the water, but investigators said Sasser later died at a local hospital. Officials said they are awaiting an official cause of death from the medical examiner.
Police said two first responders and three other people who helped with the rescue were also taken to the hospital for medical examinations. Police said everyone was tested and released from the hospital.
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In addition to Guilford County Sheriff's Deputies, the Whitsett Fire Department, Guilford County Emergency Medical Services and three other agencies responded to the call.
Friends of Aiden Sasser's family have started a fundraiser following his sudden death. (Angel Sasser/Facebook)
The boy's mother, Angel Nicole Sasser, shared a fundraiser on her Facebook page to support the family following her son's death.
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“My life…my baby…I don't know how to move on…” the grieving mother wrote on social media days after the heartbreaking accident. “No words. No energy, nothing… All I have right now is this… I love you all. We just need lots of love… Hugs… Tender I want words.” ”
