Newton boy dies in boating incident
Chris Strunk nknews@thekansan.com
Newton Kansan
Kyle Herbel had a lot of friends. Even
so, the 5-year-old Newton boy loved to spend time alone -- time alone
watching "Veggie Tales" and time alone thinking about his
older brother's adventures as a Boy Scout.
Kyle, a kindergartner at Sunset
Elementary School, died Saturday after a boating accident at Marion
Reservoir.
"We've been surprised at how many
friends he had," said Angela Herbel, Kyle's mother.
But his best friends were the members
of his close-knit family.
"He would come up to me and he
would tell me he loved me a million times a day," Herbel said.
"He would give me lots of love. He was always a happy guy and he
kept his Mommy happy."
"He was like a sunshine in our
family," said Rick Herbel, Kyle's father.
Kyle had dreams of becoming a Tiger
Scout, following in his brother Derrick's footsteps. Rick said Kyle
longed to be with his father, a Scout Master, and his brother.
"We had a lot of plans," Rick
said.
Kyle loved riding his bike, playing
soccer and video games with his 8-year-old brother.
"He was very competitive,"
Rick said. "He loved the car game, and he had to compete with
Derrick all the time."
Angela said he was always looking to
impress those around him, especially his school teacher.
"He was sharp," she said. "He
was really growing. He was a sharp cookie."
A sharp cookie with tons of energy.
"He was always bouncing around
here like he was Tigger," Rick said. "He kept everyone
hopping."
Kyle was proud of the family's entire
set of "Veggie Tales" video tapes. As a reward for his good
behavior, he was allowed to watch the whole set Friday night.
"The first one he got was 'God is
Bigger than the Boogie Man,' " Rick said. "It really helped
him go to sleep at night."
But the events of the following morning
changed the Herbel family forever.
Heading out early for a fishing trip,
the Herbel "men" were excited to get to spend the day
together at Marion Reservoir.
With boat in tow, the Herbels pulled
out of the driveway.
"Kyle smiles to mom and waves,"
Rick remembered. " 'We're going, Mommy.' "
The family stopped at a Hillsboro donut
shop for breakfast.
"They got to pick out what they
wanted," Rick said. "They wanted twist donuts."
Not a big breakfast eater, Kyle fiddled
with the donut the rest of the way to the reservoir.
"He would take a little pinch off
with his finger," Rick said. "I told him to finish it
before we got there. He just picked at it."
The Herbels boated a few hundred yards
from Cottonwood Point. The water was cold. And waves rocked the boat
as the Herbels baited their hooks. All three had their life jackets
on, Rick said.
Rick said he pulled the anchor when
waves began to increasingly toss the boat. Water began filling the
boat, and Derrick fell in.
"Kyle wanted to get Derrick,"
Rick said.
Kyle slipped into the water, and Rick
said he remembers keeping the boys together as they floated back to
shore.
"I kept saying, 'Keep your head up
Kyle, keep your head up,' " Rick said.
He said Kyle ingested a lot of water.
On shore, Rick performed CPR as Derrick ran to a nearby house for
help. The boys were taken to a hospital in Marion. Kyle was airlifted
to Columbia Wesley Hospital in Wichita.
He went almost immediately into
surgery. Then he was placed into pediatric intensive care.
"All we could do was stand there
and give him kisses," Angela said. "He was very unstable.
He wasn't getting what he needed for his brain."
Before Kyle died, Rick read from a book
a pastor gave to Kyle in the hospital.
"God wants me to make sure you
know about heaven," the book says. "It's a wonderful place.
There are no tears there. No monsters. No mean people."
Kyle's sister, Deidra, and his cousin
drew pictures of Kyle as an angel. Kyle died Sunday.
"I don't think we really know how
we're going to deal with it," Angela said. "We're just
going to have to keep really busy."
"We'll keep busy like he would
want," Rick said.
Funeral service for Kyle will be 2 p.m.
Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church in Newton.
