Group of lifeguards save young boy in Washington County
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Annie Scholz reports Video by wtmj.com
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MILWAUKEE- A four-year-old boy nearly lost his life in the water in Washington County. He's alive, thanks to a group of brave lifeguards.
If the lifeguards hadn't been there, this could be a very different outcome. But now, a little boy is home with his family, thanks to some fast acting heroes.
Regner Park in Washington County is a family fun spot, especially when the weather is nice. But one family had the scare of a lifetime Sunday when their four-year-old son started struggling in the water. Maggie Reuteman, McKenzie Retzlaff, and Leslie Weiss were on duty when it became clear, something wasn't right.
"When I shouted out to him, didn't really respond that much, I said I'm going in, blew my two whistles and jumped in," said lifeguard McKenzie Retzlaff.
That's when the whole crew jumped into action. McKenzie got the boy to shore. He wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse. Maggie Reuteman ran over from the nearby splash pad to help with CPR.
"It was like running on pure adrenaline. Our action planning, we knew what we had to do," described Reuteman.
It was so bad, Leslie Weiss grabbed a defibrillator. "I felt that our training we do every Friday morning, we do guard drills and our training really prepared us for that," said Leslie Weiss.
Thankfully, they didn't have to shock him. Other lifeguards helped with crowd control and keeping the parents calm. They worked on him for about 15 minutes when the little boy opened his eyes and let out a scream that never sounded so good.
"It's probably the best part of the day was hearing him scream," recalled McKenzie Retzlaff.
A happy ending, thanks to the hard work of these heroes.
"We're all just really really happy that he's OK and we just want to make sure that lifeguards don't get taken for granted and we are here to keep everyone safe," said Leslie Weiss.
The latest numbers from the department of health show in 2010, there were 65 drownings or near-drownings in the state. As for keeping your kids safe, make sure you keep an eye on them and keep them close by.
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