Family seeks prayers after pond accident

CLOVIS - Firefighters and police officers pulled a 12-year old boy from the bottom of Hillcrest Park pond on Tuesday afternoon, but it wasn't known early Wednesday if their heroics will save the child's life.

The child, along with friends, had been swimming in the lake when a bystander called rescue workers to report one of the boys had disappeared under the water.

Firefighters from the station a few hundred feet away arrived four minutes after receiving the call, Clovis Fire Chief Mike Nolen said.

"They made a chain and located him fairly quickly," Nolen said.

But Nolen wasn't sure how long the 12-year-old had been under the water before help was summoned.

He was initially taken to Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis before being flown to Covenant Hospital in Lubbock in critical condition.

Authorities provided no updates on Wednesday, but family members and friends posted comments on social media throughout Wednesday asking for prayers.

While swimming is prohibited in the pond, Clovis Department of Parks and Recreation Director Mark Dayhoff said there were no signs posted at the time of the incident.

"At one time we had one up, but it disappeared," Dayhoff said.

There were multiple "Do Not Drink" signs scattered, but no sign explicitly prohibiting swimming.

City workers posted "No Swimming" signs on Wednesday.