Cary boy remains in serious condition

An 8-year-old Cary boy who fell 26 feet into a canyon at Starved Rock State Park on Sunday remains in a serious condition at a Peoria hospital.

The boy, whose identity has not been released, underwent surgery for head and neck injuries Sunday night at the Children’s Hospital of Illinois after falling from a ledge into Basswood Canyon in a restricted area of the park.

Hospital personnel said the boy’s family is seeking privacy and will not be authorizing any more condition reports.

Police said the boy was hiking with his parents about 4:30 p.m. when he fell. A spokesman from the Illinois Conservation Police said the canyon is away from a marked trail.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Stacey Solano said no citations have been issued and the investigation is ongoing.

Emergency rescue personnel from the Utica Fire Department, Illinois State Police and Illinois Conservation Police responded to the base of the canyon. The Ottawa River Rescue team transported the boy across the Illinois River, where a helicopter took him to OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

The state park, which is loaded with canyons and bluffs, is in LaSalle County, about 90 miles from Chicago.