HENDERSON COUNTY, Texas — Thanks to some proactive and attentive lake goers, a 2-year-old boy who was alone in an East Texas lake without a life jacket Sunday night is now safe and was recently released from the hospital.
According to the Payne Springs Fire and Rescue, crews were alerted to the possible drowning just before 9 p.m. Sunday in the Esquire Estates area of Cedar Creek Lake in Henderson County.
As UT Health EMS and Payne Springs Fire responded, they learned the potential victim was a 2-year-old boy, who was found barely conscious and started to become more alert and cried, PSFR said.
According to the fire department, the child's life was saved because of lake visitors who saw the boy was outside by the lake alone without a life jacket. They had seen the boy previously in the day with family and wearing a life jacket.
The visitors saw the boy fall over the sea wall and took immediate action by using a jet ski to get across the channel. A man grabbed the boy who was face down in the water, unconscious and not breathing, Payne Springs Fire said.
"The gentleman who grabbed the kid out of the water was CPR trained and began CPR. The boy responded to the CPR by coughing and vomiting up water and then began to breathe on his own," PSFR said.
After receiving treatment on scene, the boy was taken to Children’s Hospital Dallas via Air 1. Payne Springs Fire said the boy is doing fine and was getting released from the hospital as of Monday morning.
"Without these visitors responding there would have been a much different outcome to this call," the fire department said. "We highly encourage everyone to get CPR trained. You never know when you may be in the position to save someone’s life. To the gentleman who saved this kids life. We greatly appreciate your actions."