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Tot dies after falling in irrigation ditch

Lynn Burton
Staff Writer

A 2-year-old Silt boy died in Denver Tuesday morning, after falling into an irrigation ditch Monday evening.

Miles Rippy, the son of Jeremy and Corrie Rippy, was pronounced dead at Children’s Hospital in Denver at 8:20 a.m. He was airlifted from Clagett Memorial Hospital in Rifle the night before, said Garfield County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ron VanMeter.

The cause of death is believed to be accidental, and an autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday night, VanMeter said.



VanMeter said Miles was staying with his grandmother, Eva Graham, who lives on Lariat Road between Silt and Rifle.

Jeremy Rippy arrived at about 6:45 p.m. to pick up his son. VanMeter said Jeremy and a neighbor, Delbert Smith, both saw the boy playing at a nearby barn.



The sheriff’s report indicated that the boy wasn’t being watched for a few minutes. When it became apparent Miles was missing, the trio started searching for him. They quickly found him face down in the irrigation ditch, which had taken him 300 to 400 feet downstream.

VanMeter said one of the three started CPR on Miles, and Garfield County dispatch notified the sheriff’s department that an ambulance was on the way at 7:13 p.m.

“He had a pulse when he arrived in Rifle,” VanMeter said.


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