One child dies, second hospitalized after both drank gas



TOWN OF MEDINA, Wis. (AP) -- Dane County Sheriff's officials say one of the two children hospitalized after drinking gasoline has died.

Deputies were called to a residence in the Town of Medina Sunday night, May 6th where a two-year-old girl and her four-year-old brother had ingested gasoline. The girl was rushed to St. Mary's Hospital in Sun Prairie where she was pronounced dead. The boy was taken by Med Flight to University Hospital in Madison.

Authorities say the siblings had climbed into a neighbor's car, which had a gas can in the back. The children and their mother live in Portage and were visiting a friend at the time. The neighbor apparently found the children after climbing into the car to head out and help the children's mother look for them.

Bob Dunn is a neighbor who says he tried to perform CPR on the little girl. "A sweetheart. She was a wonderful child, and I would have been proud to have a daughter just like her. Always very polite, good to people, and I just wish this would never have happened. I'll miss her deeply," Dunn said.

Neighbors describe the kids as best friends, and say they were always together.

The story has parents re-thinking where they keep their gasoline. Cheryl Wittke with Safe Communities says it's best to keep gasoline in a container that's clearly marked, possibly locked and always out of the reach of children.

There is no word at this time on the little boy's condition.