A 12-year-old boy has been hailed a hero after saving a grown man’s life by pulling him from a pool and performing resuscitation methods that he had learnt on TV.
Schoolboy Austen MacMillan reportedly jumped into action when he saw behavioral therapist Jason Piquette at the bottom of his family’s pool in Wellington, Palm Beach County, Florida State, USA.
As he then pulled him up and yelled for help when saw he wasn’t breathing, the boy then began administering compressions taught in CPR courses which he had apparently learnt on TV.
Recalling the incident, Austen said: “I pulled him out of the water, and then I pulled him to (dry land)”
The young boy said he then realised Piquette was not breathing and added: “I gave him CPR. I just saw it on TV.”
Austen’s father Andrew MacMillan said: “I heard him yelling in a frantic way that I’ve never seen him [do] ever before, so I immediately dropped all my groceries and ran through the gate.”
However, by the time Andrew jumped in to help and called the emergency crews, Piquette had started breathing again.
The therapist said: “I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for him. He is an absolute hero, and he always will be. I’m so grateful for you, bud.”
The boy’s mum Christina MacMillan added: “I am so proud of him, he is so brave, and I can’t even imagine being in that position.”
Austen concluded: “Don’t freak out, don’t panic, and try to learn from the situation and try to help the person.”
Media revealed that the family plans to host a CPR class for their friends and family in order to encourage them to do the same.
