CHILD RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL; INFANT REMAINS

SIKESTON -- A 5-week-old Sikeston boy remained hospitalized Friday in a St. Louis hospital, four days after he and his family nearly drowned when their car overturned in a rain-swollen ditch.

Josh T. Neal was reported in stable condition Friday in the pediatric intensive care unit of St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Neal's cousin, 4-year-old Lorne Boone Thompson of Sikeston, also nearly drowned in the Scott County accident Monday night. He was also admitted to St. Louis Children's Hospital.

A hospital spokesman said Thompson was released Wednesday.

The accident occurred on Scott County Road 450, four miles north of Sikeston at 6:43 p.m. Monday.

The car, driven by Robert N. Neal, 22, of Sikeston skidded off a wooden, one-lane bridge and overturned in 3 to 4 feet of water. The family was rescued by a passing motorist.