Santa Rosa boy who fell from cliff wakes from induced coma (w/video)

A 4-year-old Santa Rosa boy who survived a 230-foot tumble off a Sonoma Coast cliff has awakened from a medically induced coma and is improving, his father said Thursday.

Sebastion Johnson opened his eyes Tuesday after lying unconscious for about a week at Children’s Hospital Oakland, Daryl Johnson said.

So far, he’s been unable to speak because of a broken jaw that has his mouth wired shut, his dad said.

But he has shown signs of recovery, including listening to bedside stories from his mother and “growling” at a doctor, the father said.

“It was kind of a cute thing,” Johnson said. “It sounded just like my son. He’s starting to improve quickly.”

Sebastion was visiting Bodega Head with his parents and 7-year-old sister Nov. 10 when the near-tragedy unfolded.

While throwing rocks into the ocean alongside his mother, Jamie Guglielmino, Sebastion apparently got too close to the edge and tumbled down the cliff, his father said.

At first, his parents feared he fell into the waves and was swept away, but emergency responders spotted him at the base of the cliff, not far from the water line.

He was awake and crying, emergency officials said.

Bodega Bay firefighters scrambled down ropes to get him and hauled him back up. He was driven by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and then to the Oakland trauma center for children.

His mother rode with him and has remained at his side almost the entire time, the father said.

Sebastion had multiple broken bones, including a compound fracture of his leg, a broken arm or wrist, and head and face injuries, his dad said.

Also, doctors were concerned he might have suffered brain damage, Johnson said.

The boy underwent surgery and was kept in an unconscious state to keep him from going into shock, he said. But doctors took Sebastion off medications last week and have been trying to coax him awake since then.

On Tuesday, with his mother beside him, he suddenly regained consciousness, said the father, who has remained at home with the couple’s other two children.

“He woke up by himself,” Johnson said. “He opened his eyes and started looking around.”

An overjoyed Guglielmino immediately phoned home and snapped a cellphone picture, which she sent to the boy’s father.

“My wife was very happy,” Johnson said. “I could hear the joy in her voice. It made me very happy, too. He’s looking well.”

Doctors have removed a neck brace, and testing is continuing to determine if he injured his brain; but so far, things look good, the father said.

Just when Sebastion will come home from the hospital is unclear. He might be transferred to a Santa Clara hospital for further testing, the father said.

“They want to make sure there’s no brain damage,” Johnson said. “But there are no signs. I haven’t heard of anything yet.”

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.