9-year-old accidentally pulled into pool's deeper section was 'choking' — a teen's quick thinking saved her life
A mom named Natalie Anne Davis is beyond grateful to know that her 9-year-old daughter, Jude, is okay after being rescued from a scary incident at a pool at Sky Aquatic Center, per In Maricopa. The mom had lifted her attention for a second to attend to her youngest when her 9-year-old got pulled into the deeper section of the pool. In a matter of seconds, a 16-year-old lifeguard, Davian Herrera, jumped into action, rescuing the little girl in time before anything untoward happened. The teenager is being hailed as a hero for his meticulous observation and brave action.
Davis got her three children to the pool to enjoy a fun time. Her 16-year-old was with friends while the 9-year-old and 7-year-old were with the mom. As Davis was attending to her youngest, Jude came with a persistent request to take off her puddle jumpers. “I fought with her for a little bit, but finally decided that she was old enough and smart enough to stay in the areas that she was supposed to stay in,” the mom explained. Unfortunately, things took a scary turn when the little girl got pushed into the deeper section of the pool. City spokesperson Monica Williams said that the girl was 4 feet from the nearest wall.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is one of the leading causes of death among children. There are around 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths every year on average in the United States. This means around 11 people die of drowning every day. Wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen noted that the lack of supervision and vigilance from parents or guardians and security and lack of precautionary measures such as flotation devices or safety equipment can be reasons for unintentional drowning, per CNN. The 9-year-old’s case was accidental as she got pushed, but luckily, the teenager was vigilant.
“I noticed that she was swallowing water and I jumped in immediately and was able to grab her,” the 16-year-old lifeguard said, per Arizona's Family. “The lifeguard noticed that she was bobbing in and out and he immediately jumped in and pulled her out. He said she had sucked in a ton of water … she was gasping and choking when he pulled her out,” the mom recalled. The little girl was rushed to the office to be checked before she was handed over to her mother. Sharing in a Facebook post, the mom expressed her gratitude.
“Jude had a near-drowning experience today at our local pool. One of the lifeguards jumped in and saved her,” the mom wrote. She added that she would like to give him something nice. “This could have had a worse outcome,” Davis pointed out. “It was extremely busy that day. While it is his job to be paying attention, there were tons of kids and he could have maybe not noticed her as fast as he did,” the mom added. The little girl, too, said she was thankful for the young man. “I’m so thankful that he saved me and I’m just glad it’s not any worse and that I’m not scared to swim,” she said.