The father of a 5-year-old boy who drowned last week says he and his wife plan to use proceeds raised from online fundraising to improve safety at an Auburn park that’s on the Androscoggin River.
“See about setting up some type of life buoy system so anybody, trained or not, can throw something out to try to rescue anybody,” says Jason McFarland, whose son Valerio fell into the river at Bonney Park.
McFarland’s 10-year-old son Maxim jumped in to help, but also had to be rescued. He’s now in fair condition at Maine Medical Center and is expected to make a full recovery.
Game wardens are still searching for Valerio, who was playing with Maxim at Bonney Park when he fell into the Androscoggin River. McFarland is asking for the public’s help to search to recover his body. He says people can get in touch with the family through a Facebook page named for Valerio.
“So we can set up appropriately so it’s an organized effort and not chaos. We don’t need further injury,” he says.
