14-year-old boy sucked into water park drain on a ‘dare’ nearly drowns, Texas cops say

A teenage boy nearly drowned when he was sucked into a drain at a Texas water park last weekend, media outlets report.

Now the 14-year-old is in a medically-induced coma, family members say.

Caden Strimple was at the Fun Town Water Park on the Bolivar Peninsula, located southeast of Houston, with a friend when he lifted an underwater grate and slipped into the drain, Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset told KHOU. The friend saw Caden was under about three feet of water and noticed he couldn’t free himself, the Houston TV station reported.

Then a park employee shut down the pump, which allowed Caden to escape, according to KTRK. He was rushed to a hospital with “serious internal injuries,” Trochesset told KTRK.

“From my understanding, it might have been on a dare,” Trochesset said, KTRK reported.

The sheriff’s office is investigating and determining whether there is a way to hold down the grate, according to KTRK.

Caden’s father, Hoss Strimple, wrote on Facebook that his son remained in a coma Wednesday and may need several surgeries. A family friend set up a GoFundMe page to help the family.

“It’s still a long way down the road but we will make it,” Strimple wrote.

The water park said it’s hosting a fundraiser for Caden to help with his recovery, according to a Facebook post.

“Aug. 26 is the first day of school for the kids of the peninsula and most of the surrounding areas,” Fun Town Water Park wrote on Facebook. “There is a young man, Caden Strimple, that is not going to be able to make that first day.”