3 lifeguards had just started their shift—they didn't know a minor observation by them would save 2 lives
Being in a job that saves lives requires a person to be vigilant from the start. You can never know when a cry for help might come in or when a silent danger might be lurking around. The lifeguards of the Pataskala Pool in Ohio had just started their shift when they made a random observation, per ABC 6. Though it might not have seemed like much, on closer inspection, they spotted life-threatening danger and jumped into action. It was the guards' attention to detail that helped them heroically save two lives. Kaden Ross, an 18-year-old manager at the pool, had initially heard a scream from afar. At first, he thought it was just people playing and enjoying themselves in the woods.
As he paid close attention, the yelling started to get frantic. "At first, I thought it was just people playing and then the screams started turning into blood screams, like terrible screams," he recalled. The lifeguards who had just begun their shift for the day heard the screaming and immediately made their way to the woods, as reported by Good News Network. They tried to follow the yelling as best as possible and were led 150 yards away into a stream. When they arrived, they saw a woman drowning in water that was around 12 to 15 feet deep. She was actively struggling and Ross didn’t hesitate to jump in to help.
"I saved the mother,” the 18-year-old said, adding that when he brought her to safety, she quickly informed him that her little boy was trapped too. “When she tells me this, I look in the water and I don’t see anyone,” Ross recalled. The other lifeguards who were assisting quickly spotted the little boy’s feet. While Ross tried to communicate with a woman, a language barrier posed a challenge. Nevertheless, the man and his team ensured they did everything they could to save the duo. "The only thing we can see are his little feet above the water,” the man said. They quickly went back in to fetch the boy who was in dire need of life-saving assistance.
As soon as they got him out of the water, Ross began to administer CPR. "I tried to determine if he was breathing. I gave him two rescue breaths and then I began CPR,” he explained. As he persisted in administering the life-saving first aid, the boy began to respond and dislodge the water and everything else stuck. The medics soon arrived and took control of the situation. Ross and his lifeguards were still a little confused but glad to have saved two lives. "I’ve never had a save like that and I don’t think I ever will,” he said. Adding that since the situation wasn’t at his pool, he was all the more confused. “We ran and had to get in the creek and it was a life or death situation,” the 18-year-old remarked. He hopes that on his part, he can provide more swimming lessons for people so they’re at a lower risk in such situations.