‘Warrior’ toddler dies days after firefighter dad pulls him from lake, GA officials say

The 2-year-old son of a Georgia fire captain has died nearly a week after his father tried to save him from drowning, fire officials say.

Polk County Fire Capt. Josh Ingram sprang into action after his son, Brigham “Briggs” Ingram, wandered into the water at Lake Martin in Alabama on Sunday, July 17, the department wrote in a Facebook post.

Ingram, who works as a firefighter in Bremen, pulled his son from the water and immediately began CPR, officials said. It’s not clear how long the boy was in the lake.

He worked on his son for over a half hour before help arrived, after which the toddler was flown the University of Alabama at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, according to the department. Briggs was moved to the ICU but died from his injuries on Friday, July 22.

“We are heartbroken for our brother firefighter and friend Captain Josh Ingram and his entire family for the loss of their son on Friday,” Polk County fire officials wrote in a statement. “We ask the community to join us in continued prayer and support for the Ingram family at this time.”

The toddler loved to play with tractors and firetrucks and had a laugh that was “positively infectious,” according to an obituary posted online.

Family friend and fellow firefighter Daniel Norton also remembers Briggs’ laugh, telling WXIA it could be heard ”in a crowd of a thousand people.”

“He’s got little blonde hair, he’s a little fella,” Norton said.

The situation looked “pretty grim in the beginning,” he told the news station, but the family had hope that Briggs would pull through after his vital signs started to improve.

“His breathing got stable, his brain activity got better, they had him on some sedatives to keep him calm and let his little body heal,” Norton said, according to WXIA.

The fire department held a “Fill the Boot for Briggs” fundraiser over the weekend and thanked everyone who contributed nearly $16,000 in donations for the family, according to a Facebook post. A GoFundMe page for the Ingrams has also raised more than $26,000.

A funeral service is planned for Tuesday, July 26, in Breman, the obituary says.

Bremen is about 50 miles west of downtown Atlanta.

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