The CU student who was found in a hypothermic state after spending hours in a frozen ditch Monday morning is in fair condition.
Grant Munski, a 22-year-old studio arts major, is currently being treated at the Boulder Community Hospital after spending hours in a frozen ditch and suffering severe hypothermia.
Kim Kobel, spokesperson for Boulder Police, said that Munski was found by an employee of Lafayette Water around 10 a.m. on Monday in Anderson’s Ditch located near Sixth Street and Pleasant Street.
“A Lafayette Water department worker who was out there checking ditches found a man who was crouched down in water that was calf-deep,” Kobel said.
The worker Robert Davis subsequently made an emergency call, and police and firefighters responded to the scene, Kobel said. Munski’s feet were reportedly stuck in the frozen embankment.
“He had been there so long that his feet were frozen into the water,” Kobel said. “Our fire department had to break the ice in order to get the young man out of the water.”
Kobel said that although it was evident that Munski was suffering from hypothermia, he was conscious and somewhat communicative. He was able to tell police and firefighters that he had been in the ditch since around 2:30 a.m.
“He was hypothermic and his body temperature was very, very low,” Kobel said. “He was able to respond to some questions and he did admit that he had been drinking and he had slipped into the ditch area.”
Munski was immediately taken by ambulance to Boulder Community Hospital.
“He was not able to even call out for help,” Kobel said. “If he had been out there for much longer, he probably wouldn’t have made it. This Lafayette Water department worker saved his life by finding him when he did and making that phone call.”
Patti Sedano, spokesperson for Boulder Community Hospital, said that Munski was in fair condition this afternoon.
“As far as stating when he would be released, we would have no knowledge of that,” Sedano said.
Munski’s family is declining interviews at this time.
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Nora Keating at Nora.keating@colorado.edu.
1 comment
R.I.P grant